Goal to Reach Up to 3,000 Participants Per Day by Year-End
Other Local Governments Also Considering Adoption
Chungbuk Province's "Working Bappeo" program has garnered nationwide attention, surpassing a cumulative total of 200,000 participants in just one year and two months since its launch.
According to Chungbuk Province on September 1, the program is currently being operated at 146 locations across 11 cities and counties in the province. By providing simple jobs, it helps vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities regain self-esteem and stabilize their livelihoods, while also alleviating local labor shortages.
"Working Bappeo" allows residents aged 60 and older, as well as people with disabilities, to participate in simple tasks such as trimming vegetables, assembling automobile parts, organizing cable ties, and packaging pet food for two to three hours. In return, they receive Onnuri gift certificates or local currency worth between 10,000 and 15,000 won. The workshops are set up in senior centers, welfare centers for the elderly, and vacant stores in traditional markets, and operate on a first-come, first-served basis each day. The highest number of participants in a single day so far was 1,914 (on July 21).
An official from Chungbuk Province explained, "This program is more popular than existing senior job programs because the participation requirements are simpler and daily allowances are provided," adding, "The Onnuri gift certificates are widely used for grocery shopping or buying snacks for grandchildren."
Goal to Reach Up to 3,000 Daily Participants by Year-End
Chungbuk Province reduced the workshops to once a day in August due to record heatwaves, but will resume operating twice daily, in the morning and afternoon, starting in September. With Okcheon County opening two new workshops on this day, the program is now available throughout all 11 cities and counties in the province.
The number of workshops has increased from 66 at the beginning of the year to 146 currently, and as a result, the average number of daily participants has risen from 700 in January to 1,500 in July. The province plans to expand the maximum number of daily participants to 3,000 by the end of the year.
Kim Wangil, Director of Senior Welfare at Chungbuk Province, stated, "Participants often say, 'Thanks to this program, life feels more worthwhile these days. I have a better appetite and my health has improved,'" adding, "We will establish a stable operating system so that more people can participate in a healthy and meaningful way."
Other Local Governments Also Considering Adoption
As "Working Bappeo" establishes itself as a productive volunteer model, other local governments such as North Gyeongsang Province, Sejong City, North Jeolla Province, and Gyeonggi Province are considering adopting the program. Since April, Seoul Metropolitan Government has also been operating the "Working Bappeo Volunteer Group," simultaneously supporting meal services for vulnerable groups and creating jobs.
Chungbuk Province aims to leverage this achievement to further boost the local economy, enhance senior welfare, and promote a culture of volunteerism.
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