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Busan Metropolitan City Signs Agreement with WBC Welfare TV to Discover and Promote Support for At-Risk Households Toward a “Zero Welfare Blind Spot” Busan

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will sign a “Memorandum of Understanding for the Discovery and Support of At-Risk Households” today (21st) at 5:00 PM in the International Protocol Room at City Hall with WBC Welfare TV Hope Welfare Yeongnam Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Myung-soo, hereinafter referred to as WBC Welfare TV).

WBC Welfare TV is a social enterprise that operates specialized broadcasting services for people with disabilities, including sign language interpretation, subtitles, and audio descriptions.

This agreement was prepared to prevent tragedies such as recent deaths of at-risk households in other regions from recurring in Busan by strengthening public-private cooperation networks and establishing a more robust and proactive welfare safety net.

The key contents of the agreement include cooperation in discovering, supporting, and promoting at-risk households; participation and activities of WBC Welfare TV volunteers as “Honorary Social Welfare Officials”; and the promotion of welfare cooperation projects for the mutual development of both institutions.

The city plans to widely promote welfare service information, such as the Welfare Crisis Alert App, through WBC Welfare TV, a specialized welfare channel, and encourage citizens to take an interest in and participate in helping neighbors in need.

The Welfare Crisis Alert App is a system that allows individuals or neighbors to easily report welfare crisis situations—such as financial hardship, health issues, and social isolation—via mobile devices.

In addition, volunteers affiliated with WBC Welfare TV will be appointed as unpaid, honorary “Honorary Social Welfare Officials,” playing a key role in the human safety net by identifying at-risk households throughout the community.

Meanwhile, the city is making efforts to swiftly identify and support households that have suddenly fallen into hardship due to financial difficulties or other crises.

The city plans to further strengthen public awareness of the Welfare Crisis Alert App and increase the number of Honorary Social Welfare Officials from 25,000 to 26,000, expanding the workforce by 1,000. It will also expand the Busan-specific initiative “Together Care Companions,” which utilizes senior employment programs to identify at-risk households and check on their well-being.

Furthermore, the city will enhance the identification of at-risk households by utilizing administrative data such as arrears information, while building a dense community safety network that enables early detection in everyday life through cooperation with local leaders and closely connected service sectors such as postal and delivery services.

Jeong Tae-gi, Director General of the Social Welfare Bureau, stated, “There are limits to discovering welfare blind spots through public efforts alone, and the professional media capabilities and human network of WBC Welfare TV will be a great asset,” adding, “The power of relationships in which neighbors check on one another and stay connected is the most reliable welfare safety net.”