Seocho District Office Union's 'Dignity'?....Han River Authors 'The Boy Is Coming' and 'The Vegetarian' Provided to Employees

Seocho District Office Labor Union Members Applaud Distribution of Han Kang's 'The Boy Is Coming' and 'The Vegetarian', Gaining Attention

The labor union of Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) has received positive feedback for using union funds to purchase Han Kang's novels "The Boy Who Came" and "The Vegetarian," the first Korean author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and distributing them to union members.

The Seocho-gu labor union branch (Branch Chief Lee Jong-deok) recently reflected the nationwide enthusiasm following Han Kang's Nobel Prize win by purchasing 850 copies of Han Kang's books at a 30% discount using union funds and distributing them to union members.

An employee of Seocho-gu said, "The union bought Han Kang's novels and distributed them to union members, which was a very refreshing surprise."

While providing "The Boy Who Came" to union members, the branch gave one copy each of "The Boy Who Came" and "The Vegetarian" to couples who were both union members.

Additionally, union members who already had the books at home and did not need them were given a book gift certificate worth 10,000 KRW.

Branch Chief Lee Jong-deok stated, "With the nationwide welcoming atmosphere following Han Kang's Nobel Prize win, we decided it would be good for Seocho-gu public officials not to be left out of this social issue." He also humbly added, "It also has the meaning of returning the union funds contributed by members back to them."

Regarding this move by the labor union branch, another district office official said, "It is very meaningful that the union branch did not waste the funds but purchased books related to the national celebration of Han Kang's Nobel Prize win and distributed them to employees."

While public servant unions often have a strong image of 'struggle,' Seocho-gu's labor union's high-level judgment and attitude of serving its members are expected to receive very favorable evaluations.

Seocho-gu, including Mayor Jeon Seong-su and Deputy Mayor Kim Tae-myung, is showing very rational leadership and is respected by employees, creating a positive atmosphere.