Smart Seoul

Digital Inclusion

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has established the 2022 Digital Competence Strengthening Plan to implement digital inclusion in light of the widening digital gap due to the acceleration of digital transition by operating customized digital education and creating ecosystems that connect education and employment.

Vision

Vision
Seoul, a future city where all citizens are digitally connected
 
Values
  • Accessibility
  • Inclusion
  • Independence
Opinions
  • Personal tutoring required
  • Solving the digital gap within households
  • Educational environment directly connected to daily life
  • Providing employment incentives for seniors who completed training
Strategies
  • 'Right beside'

    Enhancing digital competence through interactive education

  • 'Just right (for me)'

    Expanding educational content customized according to demand

  • 'Neighborhood-wide'

    Providing a regional-based education environment

  • 'Continuously together'

    Creating a ecosystem of virtuous cycle between education and employment

Tasks
    • Operation of personal tutoring digital education
    • Operation of moving digital education bus
    • Vitalizing digital education using robots
    • Operation of specialized municipal education curricula
    • Operation of inclusive digital content customized for seniors
    • Expanding YouTube-based video educational content
    • Development and application of AI tutor-based competence diagnosis model
    • Operation of regional interactive education facilities
    • Installing public WiFi in social welfare facilities
    • Creating a senior digital center (dedicated training facility)
    • Expansion of kiosk experience zone
    • Operation of digital tutors
    • Assigning instructors to provide eye-level education to seniors
    • Recruiting instructors and supporters for digital learning center
    • Establishing public-private partnership digital inclusion networks
Tasks
Strategies Contents
Enhancing competence with 'Right beside' interactive education
  • Enhancing the effectiveness of education through demand-based in-person education services with minimal size
  • Carrying out personal tutoring for seniors by instructors who have digital qualifications
Expansion of educational content customized to demand that is 'Just right (for me)'
  • Supporting customized learning for each level through detailed programs (e.g. basic, life, expert, special)
  • Supporting independent repeat learning for seniors that can be used both online and offline
Establishing region-based educational environments 'Neighborhood-wide'
  • Permanent operation of public facilities as digital education facilities that is easily accessible from home
  • Creating a senior digital center (dedicated education facility) which is open for visiting, experience, and education any time
Establishing a 'Continuously together' ecosystem of virtuous cycle between education and employment
  • Creating social contribution-type jobs for seniors and nurturing them as digital senior care experts
  • Operating a education-employment virtuous cycle which employs education participants as instructors
1. Enhancing competence with 'Right beside' interactive education
  • Personal tutoring digital education which visits areas with educational demand
  • Operation of 'digital education bus' complete with digital education environment
  • Vitalization of digital education using robots
2. Expansion of educational content customized to demand that is 'Just right (for me)'
  • Discovery and operation of special municipal education curricula based on real-life usage
  • Operation of digital inclusive content tailored for seniors
  • Creation and expansion of YouTube-based video educational content
  • Development of AI Tutor-based competence diagnosis model (Jul. 2022) and pilot application (late 2022)
3. Establishing region-based educational environments 'Neighborhood-wide'
  • Designation and permanent operation of regionally connected digital education facilities
  • Provision of digital environment through public WiFi installation in social welfare facilities
  • Creation of senior digital center (dedicated education facility), a dedicated digital space for seniors
  • Expansion of kiosk experience zones
4. Establishing a 'Continuously together' ecosystem of virtuous cycle between education and employment
  • Operation of visiting digital guides
  • Assigning instructors to provide eye-level education to seniors
  • Selection of digital instructors and supporters

Digital Learning Center

Digital Learning Center
  • Semester: Apr. 2022 to Dec. 15, 2022
  • Target: Anyone who seeks digital education
Details
  • Free digital education customized for citizens
    • Improvement of accessibility in education via call center (for inquiries and applications)
    • Education methods: Offline/online education, adjusting the number of people educated at each center following social distancing
    • Rental service of educational devices such as smart devices and kiosks
  • Digital device information for seniors and the digitally underprivileged (e.g. smart devices, kiosks)
    • Visiting education service for digital device experience via digital education bus
    • Practical education at senior centers, and school visit education for students with disabilities
  • New technology information (e.g. metaverse)
    • Provision of introductory education on the metaverse to those who have attended basic class, elementary school students, office workers, etc.
    • Fostering seniors’ ability to use the metaverse via metaverse events
  • Help desk
    • Operation of a help desk for the use of various digital devices, such as kiosks and vaccine pass, at facilities frequented by citizens, such as community service centers, markets, parks, and vaccination centers
  • Digital experience zones
    • Installation of 3 digital experience centers at Smart Guro Promotion Center, Smart Seoul Exhibition Hall and Changdong Aurne, and provision of digital experience education by in-house staff

Eodina Supporters

Eodina Supporters

Through digital education and consultation for seniors by one-to-one care method, “Eodina (Anywhere) Supporters”, a group of elderly professional digital instructors, improve their abilities and create a new model of addressing the digital divide.

Purpose
  • Contribution to inclusive digital society through education for seniors
  • Enhancement of citizens’ satisfaction through advancement and substantial management of education support system
  • Leading digital transition by actualizing smart inclusiveness through enhancement of citizens’ digital capabilities
Business Field
  • Operate Anywhere Support Group
  • Target : Selected 100 seniors or career interrupted women with IT capabilities
  • Activities: Close-up education (1:1), in-depth counseling (help desk), participation in experiences and events, etc.

    ※ Operational performance : 34 people in 2019, 216 people in 2020, and 100 people in 21 years

Digital literacy education for seniors
  • Purpose: Enhancing educational effect through repeated education by forming a bond with seniors
  • Target: Seoul-based seniors (age 55+)

※ Performance: 464 persons in 2019; 2,183 persons in 2020; 8,323 persons in 2021

  • 01

    Interactive education
    (one-on-one)

    Education on basic smartphone usage, online searches, QR check-in method, etc. through personal education between instructor and learner Repeated education (online, robot)

  • 02

    Repeated education
    (online, robot)

    • Repeated learning of content learned from interactive education
    • Mobile method (during gathering restrictions), robot usage method (in-person)
  • 03

    Operation of online and offline help desk

    Carrying out detailed consulting on how to use digital devices in offline spaces such as real-time consulting on errors related to online education, inquiries, and welfare centers etc.

※ Pilot operation in 9 institutions (e.g. welfare centers, libraries) in 2020

Pilot operation 1
Pilot operation 2

Bridging the Digital Divide Using Smart Robots

LiKU (Educational Robot)

Digital device education is provided using an education robot to make seniors more familiar with digital devices and enhance their capabilities to use various smart services.

Educational Robot(LIKU)

Project details
  • District-connected education on KakaoTalk, delivery app, and Naver Map usage, etc. using educational robot LiKU for seniors and vulnerable groups experiencing difficulties in digital device usage
  • Children safety education, etc. targeting preschoolers in childcare centers within Seoul through children's stories, dancing, songs, etc. using digital education robot LiKU
  • Pilot operation of cognitive ability development and training content to prevent dementia in seniors through applying education and care to the robot and using as a platform
Program
District-linked education
  • Target: Seniors and vulnerable groups experiencing difficulties in digital device usage

    ※ Performance: Supply of 220 educational robots and education for 4,000 persons (2020)

  • Location: Seoul-based local community service centers, senior welfare facilities, childcare centers, etc.
  • Content: KakaoTalk usage, voice phishing prevention, storytelling, etc.
  • Method: Carrying out personal tutoring between robot and trainee under the instruction of a main instructor
Pilot operation 1
Pilot operation 2
Practical training connected with digital instructors
  • Target: Seniors experiencing difficulties in digital device usage (digital education learner)
  • Location: Community service centers, senior welfare facilities, etc.
  • Method: (a) Digital instructors provide interactive education (one-on-one) → (b) robot practical education → (c) re-education

    ※ Robot education (one-on-one) provides feedback after detection motion from the learner and repeats until training is complete

Awards
  • Selected as an excellent city in the 'Education' sector by UNESCO at the 2021 NetExplo Linking Cities awards ceremony April) Responding to the exclusion and isolation of seniors during the pandemic through teaching how to use smart devices using humanoid-type robot LiKU