'Seongbuk Fair Trade Festival' Enjoyed by the Whole Family

Seongbuk-gu Holds Fair Trade Cultural Event for Elementary Students and Parents in Commemoration of World Fair Trade Day

First-time event this year... A time for the whole family to understand and experience fair trade together

Educational programs tailored to children’s perspective through games and hands-on activities

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) held the ‘2023 Seongbuk-gu Fair Trade Festival’ at Seongbuk Art Hall in Seongbuk-gu Office on the 13th to commemorate ‘World Fair Trade Day.’

The second Saturday of May every year is designated as ‘World Fair Trade Day’ by the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization), and fair trade supporters from 80 countries around the world hold festivals to celebrate this day.

Fair trade refers to trade that realizes ethical values such as economic independence of producers, prohibition of child labor, and environmental protection by trading goods made by producers and workers in underdeveloped countries at fair prices.

Since establishing the Seongbuk-gu Fair Trade Center in 2016 and striving to expand the base of fair trade, Seongbuk-gu, with the Seongbuk-gu Fair Trade Center as the host and cooperation from Seoul’s 5th Seongbuk Hub-type Our Neighborhood Care Center, prepared a fair trade event this year that the whole family can enjoy and learn from.

At this first-ever event, educational programs teaching concepts through games tailored to children’s perspectives and hands-on programs making bark chocolate using fair trade products were conducted.

Children experiencing the labor conditions of child workers in underdeveloped countries (carrying 10kg sacks of coffee beans)

In particular, a hands-on zone where participants could directly experience the harsh working conditions of children working on cacao farms was opened, receiving great response.

To promote a plastic- and single-use item-free event, paper-pack water was provided instead of plastic bottled water, and handkerchiefs were used instead of plastic packaging. Participants also pledged not to use plastic water bottles and signed a commitment, practicing the ‘NO Plastic’ campaign.

A child and a parent who participated in the event said, “I felt the urgent need to protect the human rights of children involved in production in underdeveloped countries and realized the necessity of practicing fair trade.”

Additionally, to mark ‘World Fair Trade Day,’ Seongbuk-gu held a fair trade quiz event on the district office website. Those who answered correctly will receive two Fair Cafe coupons (worth 3,000 KRW each) redeemable for fair trade products at the Seongbuk-gu Fair Cafe. This event runs for seven days from May 10 to 16, targeting a total of 500 participants.

An official from the district stated, “Seongbuk-gu will continue to take the lead in raising awareness of fair trade and provide various opportunities at the district level so that many people can participate in fair trade.”