Geumcheon-gu has secured 18 million won ($12,500) in project funding after the Geumcheon Senior Club and Geumcheon Hoam Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center were selected for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2026 Senior Employment Workplace Operations Support grant program.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched the program to upgrade aging facilities at senior employment workplaces, establish a stable operational foundation and expand quality job opportunities for older adults. The initiative aims to improve working conditions for participating seniors while strengthening the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of each workplace.
Two sites in Geumcheon-gu were chosen under the aging-facility improvement category: Chakan Dosirak, operated by the Geumcheon Senior Club, and Hamkke Green Cafe, run by the Geumcheon Hoam Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center. Each site will receive 9 million won, for a combined total of 18 million won.
Chakan Dosirak is a community-run workplace where seniors manufacture and sell dosirak and banchan, while also providing meal support to senior centers and care services for vulnerable residents. Hamkke Green Cafe is a cafe-style operation run directly by seniors that offers a rest space for local residents while creating employment for older adults in the community.
The grant funds will be used to renovate aging facilities at each site. Chakan Dosirak plans to upgrade its drainage systems and flooring to create a safer and more efficient cooking environment, while Hamkke Green Cafe will replace kitchen equipment to ensure more hygienic operating conditions.
The Geumcheon Senior Club has been recognized as an outstanding institution in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's senior employment evaluation for five consecutive years. Its selection in this grant program further affirms its strong operational capacity and track record in senior employment.
The district has been steadily expanding quality senior employment beyond public-sector jobs to include community enterprise units and skills-utilization programs that draw on the experience and abilities of older residents. Geumcheon-gu said it will continue improving workplace conditions so seniors can work safely and comfortably, and will press ahead with building a sustainable foundation for senior employment.
"Being selected for this Seoul Metropolitan Government grant program is a meaningful achievement that recognizes the outstanding operational capabilities and project performance of our senior employment institutions," district mayor Choi Gi-chan said. "We will use the funding to improve aging workplace facilities so seniors can work in a safer and more comfortable environment, and we will do our utmost to keep expanding quality senior employment opportunities."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
