Youth and middle-aged single-person household participants co-wrote and staged a play based on conversations and writing sessions; 'Dongne Lifestyle Lab Han;Pyeong' serves as a hub for building neighborly bonds and cross-generational connection
Seoul's Seongbuk-gu district hosted an original theatrical performance, "Jeongneung Is Clear Again Today — The Story of the Invisible People of Jeongneungcheon," on May 30 at "Dongne Lifestyle Lab Han;Pyeong," a community welfare hub inside Jeongneung Community Welfare Center.
Jeongneung Community Welfare Center organized the performance to address the growing problem of isolation and loneliness among single-person households and to foster cross-generational exchange.
"Dongne Lifestyle Lab Han;Pyeong" is a space where residents meet, build relationships and create stories rooted in their neighborhood. Young and middle-aged single-person household participants in the area have been gathering regularly since last fall through the "Jeongneung Is Clear Again Today" group, sharing their everyday lives and personal concerns through conversation and writing. They co-wrote a play based on those exchanges and brought it to the stage.
The production, "The Story of the Invisible People of Jeongneungcheon," projects feelings of loneliness, anxiety and a longing for connection — present all around us yet rarely visible — onto the figure of the "invisible person." The play conveys the message that the invisible person is not some distant stranger but could be a neighbor, or oneself, drawing strong empathy from the audience.
The venue also featured an exhibition of photographs and publications documenting the participants' collaborative creative process. After the performance, a talk-back session allowed the cast and audience to share the work's meaning and message.
One young participant said the experience started out awkward but deepened into genuine understanding. "As we wrote together and prepared for the performance, we came to truly understand each other," the participant said. "It was a precious experience — I feel like I've gained a real neighbor I can count on."
Chae Seong-hyeon, director of Jeongneung Community Welfare Center, said the performance went beyond a simple cultural event. "It became an opportunity for the community to reflect together on the challenge of social isolation and to understand lives across generations," Chae said. "We will continue to support a variety of resident-led hub activities so that people can build a close-knit network of relationships within their neighborhood."
A Seongbuk-gu official who attended the event said the process itself was deeply moving. "Watching young people and middle-aged residents come together at a community welfare hub, embrace each other's loneliness and complete a single work of art was truly touching," the official said. "Building on this example of residents coming together to address social isolation, the district office will continue to support the formation of resident-centered relationship networks."
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