Dongdaemun-gu's first public senior welfare center marks one year with community celebration

Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul announced Tuesday that Dongbaekkkot Senior Welfare Center, the district's first public senior welfare center, held a ceremony marking its first anniversary of operation.

The event was organized to share the center's achievements over the past year, reflect on its growth alongside the local community, and reaffirm its commitment to moving forward.

Held under the theme "One Year in Bloom, Tomorrow Together," the ceremony was attended by Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min, Dongdaemun District Council Chairman Kim Chang-gyu, local guests, representatives from affiliated organizations, and senior residents who use the center.

The program included commemorative speeches, a performance report, a screening of a one-year anniversary video, and a celebratory performance. The video highlighted the center's key programs, its achievements over the past year, and firsthand accounts from senior residents, illustrating the changes the center has brought to the community.

District Mayor Choi and other guests then took part in a commemorative performance in which they unfurled a photo placard depicting camellia flowers in full bloom, symbolizing the center's new chapter and continued growth.

Side events featured a range of participatory programs — a senior human rights quiz, calligraphy postcard making, a smart health experience booth, and a scent-tag craft activity. Notably, senior residents themselves ran the booths, sharing the skills and experience they had built up over the year and adding deeper meaning to the occasion.

Dongbaekkkot Senior Welfare Center, operated under a trust arrangement by the Korea Social Welfare Society, is Dongdaemun-gu's first district-run senior welfare center. Since opening, it has offered a wide range of welfare services including lifelong education, health promotion, case management, and senior employment and social activity support programs. The center has placed particular emphasis on digital literacy and smart welfare services to encourage social participation among older residents and support an active later life.

"I am grateful to the senior residents, donors and volunteers who have helped the center establish itself firmly in the community over the past year," District Mayor Choi said. "We will continue to expand welfare services that put older residents at the center, and build a welfare center that grows together with the community."

With the first anniversary as a milestone, Dongbaekkkot Senior Welfare Center plans to further strengthen its community partnerships and continue expanding tailored welfare services and smart welfare programs that reflect the diverse needs of older residents.