Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor, said April 30 he would pursue a policy package called “Seoul Mind Fitness Recovery” so that “Seoul residents can be healthy not only in body but also in mind.”
Oh announced the mental health pledge at the Seoul Mind Convenience Store Gwanak branch inside Seongmin Comprehensive Social Welfare Center in Sillim-dong, saying he would “overwhelmingly complete” changes launched under the city’s “Loneliness-Free Seoul” policy initiative.
The plan is his second official campaign pledge and his second health-related promise, following the “Steel Stamina, Vibrant Seoul” proposal released a day earlier. Oh said health should be enjoyed equally “regardless of wealth or social achievement,” and argued that income and asset gaps should not lead to health gaps that widen differences in happiness.
At the center of the proposal is building a “mental safety belt” under which the city would directly manage invisible risks such as isolation and loneliness to strengthen residents’ mental resilience. Oh said he would accelerate what he called “heart-ware” — beyond hardware and software — building on results from the Loneliness-Free Seoul program introduced in 2024, when he was Seoul mayor.
For older residents, the plan links the health app “Sonmok Doctor 9988” with a mobile app called “Brainfit 45” to offer self-checks for dementia risk and tailored missions such as cognitive training and walking. It also calls for closer management of men in their 50s and 60s, described as the group at highest risk of social isolation. Using administrative data such as job loss or divorce, the city would identify households in crisis earlier and set up an always-on check-in system combining artificial intelligence and KakaoTalk.
Oh also pledged to expand a project for isolated and reclusive young people, investing a total of 109 billion won by 2030. The plan includes opening dedicated mental health clinics at facilities such as Eunpyeong Hospital and operating a family-support living lab to help relatives take part in recovery.
Psychological counseling, previously limited to high-risk groups, would be expanded to all residents under a “citywide mind rebuilding project.” Oh said 16 billion won would be used to provide private professional counseling vouchers to 100,000 people a year. Support would cover up to eight sessions per person, at 80,000 won per session, to help manage mild mental health issues before they worsen.
Offline support hubs would also be expanded. “Mind Convenience Stores,” which offer counseling and simple food, would grow from four locations to at least one in each district, and mobile versions would operate in areas with many one-person households. Oh also said he plans to create an urban healing space in the Seongsu-dong area using Seoul Forest.
“Loneliness is a condition that any modern person can carry,” Oh said, adding that two years of policy experiments gave him confidence it can be reduced. He said the city would expand programs such as the Mind Convenience Store so any Seoul resident can use them, and repeated his pledge to “overwhelmingly complete” changes already underway.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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