SEOUL, Jul. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on July 23 that it is implementing a Digital Guide program to assist elderly residents who are unfamiliar with digital devices.
The initiative will be active at major subway stations, welfare facilities, and parks throughout the city.
On the morning of July 23, the city held an inauguration ceremony to appoint 145 individuals as the fifth cohort of Digital Guides. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the ceremony, personally presenting Digital Guide ID cards to the appointees and offering words of encouragement for their upcoming activities.
This program, which began in the latter half of 2022, aims to bridge the digital divide while also creating job opportunities. The current group marks the fifth iteration of the initiative.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is implementing a Digital Guide program to assist elderly residents who are unfamiliar with digital devices. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Working in pairs, these Digital Guides will be stationed at over 300 locations across Seoul, including key subway stations, welfare facilities, and parks, until December 20.
Their primary role is to instruct senior citizens on how to use kiosks and smartphone applications for various tasks such as booking train tickets, finding directions, and hailing taxis.
To prepare for their roles, the guides underwent training from July 2 to July 12. The curriculum covered the use of kiosks and smartphone applications, as well as effective methods for interacting with and assisting citizens.
Park Jin-young, head of the city’s digital policy bureau, stated, “We will continue to strive to reach out through various channels to each and every citizen experiencing digital inconvenience in their daily lives.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
