Jongno-gu, Warm Lunar New Year Sentiments Caring Attentively for Vulnerable Residents

With Active Support from Private Companies, Organizations, and Religious Facilities, Warmth Supplies, Holiday Food, and Daily Necessities Provided to Ssokbang Residents... Donations and Goods Collected Over Ten Days Worth About 27 Million Won to Be Used for Low-Income Residents... Donation Campaigns to Help Neighbors in Need Continue Across the Region

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Ahead of Seollal, the largest traditional holiday of the Korean people, Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) is actively engaged in protective measures for socially vulnerable groups as well as sharing activities for the homeless and residents of jjokbang (small, cramped rooms).

This is to help residents who are in difficult circumstances, enduring the coldest winter due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and financial hardships, to have at least a warm holiday.

First, the district is conducting holiday sharing activities that consider socially disadvantaged people such as the homeless around Gwanghwamun, Jongno, and Cheonggyecheon areas, and jjokbang residents in Donui-dong and Changsin-dong.

Previously, during the holidays, jjokbang residents would gather to hold a joint ancestral rite table and share food to alleviate loneliness. However, this Seollal, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and comply with social distancing, the district is instead providing warming supplies, holiday food, and daily necessities.

In particular, despite the difficult economic situation, meaningful support was made possible through active sponsorship from various private companies, organizations, and religious facilities, providing food items such as rice cakes, dumplings, nutritional supplements, and various warming supplies. For the homeless, guidance and counseling activities are conducted, and essential quarantine supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers, as well as warming kits including winter jumpers, thermal underwear, and hot packs, are provided.

Additionally, from January 27 to February 5, a "10-day Seollal Donation Race" was promoted in cooperation with the local community security council. Donations of money, food, and daily necessities were collected at the district office and community centers to be delivered to vulnerable residents.

Especially this year, in the spirit of sharing the pain with residents facing crisis situations due to COVID-19, district office employees voluntarily participated in fundraising, collecting about 20 million won, adding warmth to the effort. The funds and goods collected during the ten-day donation race amounted to approximately 27 million won and will be used valuably for low-income residents in the area.

Beautiful donation chains, where people think first of those more in need than themselves, continue throughout the region.

In Changsin 2-dong, 17 professional organizations, merchants' associations, and businesses pooled their hearts to deliver rice cake soup meal kits to all vulnerable households. Changsin Jeil Church and Jongno Plaza Orthopedics each donated white rice and body care products, while Jongno Central Saemaeul Geumgo and Wagle Wagle Jokbal contributed funds to help neighbors.

In Pyeongchang-dong, on the 4th and 5th, rice cakes for rice cake soup and quarantine masks were delivered to elderly low-income seniors. The local community security council planned and accompanied this effort to create a resident-led care community, helping neighbors check on each other and alleviate feelings of isolation.

Employees of Tium21, the developer of "Jongno Hanra Vivaldi Unjongga," visited Sungin 2-dong on the 4th to donate white rice for use by marginalized neighbors. The rice received that day was delivered to low-income households including elderly living alone in the area. Also, the Ihwa-dong Tongjang Association held a time to check on the well-being of seniors at the district-run senior centers and gave them sock sets, wishing them a safe Seollal holiday.

On the 4th, Gyo-nam-dong delivered rice cake soup rice cakes, beef bone broth, and quarantine masks to 150 households including low-income seniors and single-parent families. The Hyehwa-dong Community Security Council also carried out a non-face-to-face sharing activity on the 9th, delivering New Year's blessing bags richly composed of rice cake soup rice cakes, beef, beef bone broth, seasoned seaweed, and fruit right to the doors of low-income elderly living alone.

District Mayor Kim Young-jong said, "I hope this helps socially vulnerable residents in the area, who are often overlooked, to all enjoy a joyful Seollal holiday," and added, "We will continue to seek warm support measures to embrace socially disadvantaged people left in welfare blind spots."