Naver Happy Bean said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea Land and Housing Corp (LH), the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Yuhan-Kimberly, Asung Daiso and World Vision for the On:Youth Project to support young adults preparing for independence.

The project will run through December and provide living and housing support and relationship-building programmes to 300 young adults who are within five years of leaving care. It will prioritise youths who live in or have a base in 107 areas, including depopulating regions and areas of interest, where support infrastructure is lacking.

LH will oversee housing education and improvements to the environment of vulnerable facilities, and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation will run a one-night, two-day networking camp. Yuhan-Kimberly and Asung Daiso will provide an "I'm checking in" box twice, containing daily necessities and a shopping-support card. It will also operate a Naver Band channel where participating youths can share information.

Happy Bean will run an online campaign to raise awareness of emotional isolation among young adults preparing for independence. It plans to select supportive messages from campaign comments, produce an "I'm checking in" book, and deliver it to the youths.

A Ministry of Health and Welfare survey shows the share of isolation and seclusion among young adults preparing for independence within five years of leaving care is about four times that of ordinary youths. It found 30.3 percent of respondents cited "a friend or mentor to talk to" as the help they need.

Lee Il-goo (이일구), CEO of Naver Happy Bean, said: "We will create a case of social contribution that connects different resources and expertise and expands public participation."