Seoul city to open ”convenience stores for the heart” for lonely people (South Korea)

At the end of March, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would open four "Seoul Heart Convenience Stores." The Seoul Heart Convenience Stores are located in Gwanak, Kangbuk, Dobong, Dongdaemun, and Dongdaemun.
The new facility will be built in the General Social Welfare Center in the 4th district of the Kohoku district. The first will open in the Kohoku district on the 27th, followed by other locations by the 31st.
The facility is part of the "Seoul without loneliness" initiative announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in October 2024.
This is one of the core businesses. By 2027, one center will be opened in each ward. In addition to self-diagnosis regarding loneliness, the center offers consultations with experts and people who have experienced isolation, and also provides programs to overcome loneliness.
There will also be communication spaces. The degree of loneliness and isolation can be diagnosed with a simple five-item checklist. Depending on the results, the person can consult with people who have experienced isolation or with social workers.
They share their experiences of overcoming isolation, receive information necessary to overcome loneliness, and, when necessary, receive services from organizations that provide relief to isolated families.
The facility will also provide food. The food will be provided by Seoul Food Service, which signed a business partnership agreement for a Seoul without loneliness in December 2024.
The donation will be made by food giants Daesang and Pulmuone Foods, which have signed an agreement with Seoul City. City officials also donated about 850 packets of instant ramen.