[Report] "Like a Refurbished Bicycle, I Also Find a New Life"... The Transformation of Discarded Bicycles

Seoul City Discards Over 15,000 Bicycles Annually
Repaired by Self-Support Workers for the Used Market

"Mostly, there are many with flat tires. If the gear shifter is broken, it's basically unusable."

On the afternoon of the 21st, Yoo Tae-hoon (58) is repairing a broken bicycle at 'Uri Dongnae Bicycle Shop' in Guro-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Lee Seo-hee]

Yoo Tae-hoon (58), who works at 'Uri Dongne Jajeon-gipo,' a bicycle repair shop in Guro-gu, Seoul, said this while carefully inspecting newly arrived discarded bicycles. The bicycles that had wandered the streets for a long time before arriving here were covered with white dust on the handlebars and frame. Yoo brushed off the dust with his hand and said, "If the pedals and brakes look intact, they can be reused, but if the gear shifter is broken, it's hard to fix." He added, "If about 10 bicycles come in a day, we carefully select about three of them to transform into like-new bicycles that can hit the streets again."

A 'New Life' for Basic Livelihood Security Recipients

At Uri Dongne Jajeon-gipo, more than 10 ownerless bicycles gather daily. This is because local governments are running a 'discarded bicycle regeneration project' that repairs discarded bicycles and either sells them in the secondhand market at prices lower than market value or donates them to elderly welfare institutions and child care centers to find new owners. According to Seoul City, about 15,000 discarded bicycles are collected annually after losing their owners. Last year, 14,093 bicycles were collected, and from January to May this year, 3,748 were collected.

Bicycles that have a 10-day collection notice attached and then a 14-day disposal announcement period without finding their owners are sent to 'self-support workers' like Yoo. Self-support workers are individuals participating in the 'self-support work project' operated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments, including basic livelihood security recipients and those in the near-poverty class. Once selected as self-support workers, they are assigned to various fields such as cleaning, delivery, and bicycle repair to learn skills. Among these, bicycle repair is a social service-type job, with a daily wage of about 50,200 won.

Yoo himself first learned bicycle repair skills here five years ago. He mastered everything from the bicycle frame to tool usage and even obtained an official certification. Now, he is so experienced that he can instantly determine whether a discarded bicycle can be regenerated and what needs to be repaired. Yoo said, "Before coming here, I did many different jobs. Working on bicycle repairs, I am living a new life too." He added, "The greatest satisfaction comes when customers ride the bicycles I repaired swiftly or occasionally hand me a Bacchus energy drink, saying I worked hard."

After 5 Years, Scattered Again... The Challenge Ahead

Basic livelihood security recipients receive a basic living allowance monthly, but the amount is insufficient, so they also participate in self-support work. As of 2024, the basic living allowance for a single-person household is 713,102 won, a 14.4% increase compared to last year, but it is still barely enough to maintain a livelihood.

On the other hand, the daily wage for self-support work (market entry type) in 2024 is 57,930 won, which translates to a standard monthly income of 1,506,180 won. This is why many vulnerable groups give up the living allowance and flock to self-support work. A representative from the Seoul Guro Life Center Regional Self-Support Center explained, "If the self-support work wage is higher than the basic living allowance, the basic living allowance cannot be received. Many residents give up the living allowance to earn higher income by participating in self-support work."

On the afternoon of the 21st, repaired bicycles are displayed at 'Urideongne Bicycle Shop' in Guro-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Lee Seohee]

Nevertheless, the maximum self-support work period of 60 months (5 years) is considered a limitation. Yoo, who is now in his fifth year of work, will no longer be able to participate in self-support work starting this October. This is because he will exceed the maximum work period set by the government to prevent vulnerable groups from relying too much on self-support work. Workers whose period has ended must take a one-year break before they can apply again for the self-support work project.

During this period, workers scatter again. If lucky, they start a business or find more stable jobs, but most workers either try again for elderly jobs or wait to reapply for self-support work. A representative from the Seoul Guro Life Center Regional Self-Support Center said, "The center cannot track where and how those who finished self-support work are working. Some are expected to find more stable jobs in the general labor market, while others may apply for elderly jobs."

Experts expressed concern that vulnerable groups who lose both the basic living allowance and self-support work may face economic difficulties.

Professor Park Seung-hee of the Department of Social Welfare at Sungkyunkwan University said, "The reason they participate in self-support work despite being eligible for the basic living allowance is that the allowance is insufficient. For them, losing income overnight is almost the same as having no income. Among them, very few succeed in general employment or start a business to obtain more stable jobs. Ultimately, their income decreases, and they are likely to face economic hardship."