Seoul’s Gangseo-gu (District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon) is rolling out its ‘2026 Senior Cooling Center Operation Plan’ to protect the health and safety of elderly residents amid the ongoing heat wave. The district has designated a total of 161 sites — 12 welfare centers, 147 senior centers and two overnight safety shelters — as cooling centers, to be operated through Sept. 30, the end of the district’s heat wave response period. In particular, the district plans to run overnight safety shelters alongside the daytime centers for vulnerable seniors living in jjokbang (subdivided rooms), rooftop units and goshiwon (small studio rooms) without air conditioning, aiming to close gaps in the district’s heat wave safety net.
 [코리안투데이] A senior cooling center at Magok Senior Center © 송정숙 기자 |
Welfare centers designated as general cooling centers will be open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., while senior centers will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. To help seniors using the facilities maintain summer hygiene and prevent heat-related illness, the district will also distribute 7,500 fans and 4,500 packs of hand sanitizer wipes to the facilities. The move is seen as an effort to go beyond simply keeping the facilities open and to genuinely improve convenience for users.
Also notable is the public-private ‘overnight safety shelter’ program aimed at reducing blind spots in heat wave protection overnight. The district has secured two lodging facilities — the Tiffany Hotel and Hotel Yaja’s Gangseo-gu office branch — which will be converted into overnight cooling centers whenever a heat wave advisory or warning is issued. The program is available to low-income households aged 65 and older who live in poor housing conditions without air conditioning or who face a high risk of heat-related illness. Residents can apply directly at their local dong community service center or be referred by the center, and the shelters operate from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day. For convenience, the general rule is one person per room, but up to two people — such as family members needing to accompany a senior — may stay together if necessary.
 [코리안투데이] A senior cooling center at Naechon Senior Community Room © 송정숙 기자 |
As heat waves have intensified in recent years, concerns have steadily grown over the risk of heat-related illness among elderly residents living in housing with poor cooling. Against this backdrop, Gangseo-gu last year also carried out a range of heat wave prevention measures, including subsidizing cooling costs at cooling centers, supporting the purchase and repair of air conditioning units, providing 116 electric fans and 20 first-aid kits, and distributing about 20,000 bottles of drinking water. The overnight safety shelters in particular provided seniors with a place to take refuge a total of 285 times over the course of last year, offering tangible help.
Gangseo-gu Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon said, ‘Based on a prior needs survey, we reorganized the senior cooling centers and completed cooling cost subsidies as well as inspections and repairs of air conditioning units so that seniors can use the facilities with ease.’ He added, ‘We will carry out careful administration so that our seniors are not left out or put at risk during the heat wave.’
Residents who want more information about using the cooling centers or applying for the overnight safety shelters can contact the Gangseo-gu Office’s Senior Welfare Division at 02-2600-6754 for guidance.송정숙 기자 (한국통합치유협회장) | gangseo@thekoreantoday.com
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