7-Second "Back to Daily Life - Cleaning Task Force"
Spotlighting the Hidden Heroes Behind the Seoripul Festival
The 7-second YouTube Shorts video titled "Back to Daily Life - Cleaning Task Force," produced by Seocho District in Seoul, has surpassed 5 million views in just over 40 days since its release, becoming a hot topic. The "cleaning parade" scenes, featuring environmental officers quietly tidying up after a dazzling festival, have touched the hearts of viewers worldwide.
Seocho District featured a cleaning video scene showcasing the efforts of environmental officers at this year's Seoripul Music Festival as the cover model of the November issue of the "Seocho District News" magazine. Provided by Seocho District.
This video was planned to capture the behind-the-scenes stories of the "Seoripul Music Festival," which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. During the festival on September 27-28, the ten lanes of Banpo-daero, cleared of vehicles, were filled with music and people. Instead of focusing the camera on the brightly lit stage, the district office turned its lens to the "hidden heroes" outside the spotlight. The documentary-style video tells the story of those who "protect daily life from unseen places," a message emphasized by Seocho District Mayor Jeon Seongsoo.
The video features a variety of people: the stage setup that continued throughout the night before the festival, members of the Marine Corps Veterans Association and exemplary drivers who managed traffic, police officers and firefighters who ensured safety, and the youth volunteer group "Seoripul Runners." At dawn, after the crowds had dispersed, water trucks and the cleaning task force worked in perfect coordination to restore Banpo-daero to its original state.
Seocho District edited and uploaded a 7-second video from the footage, featuring the Seoripul Cleaning Task Force (environmental officers) cleaning up after the festival. The video reached 2 million views within a week, 4.6 million within a month, and hit 5 million views by the night of November 5, just 39 days after its release. The district also featured a scene from this video, highlighting the environmental officers' efforts, as the cover model for the November issue of "Seocho District News."
The video received enthusiastic responses, with comments such as "Cleaning is an art" and "There is no need for separate K-Cleaning Avengers." Comments like "Korean-style cleaning culture spreading worldwide" and "They should appear on You Quiz" praised the cleaning task force's performance as a spectacle in itself.
The idea originated from the thought that the warning lights worn by environmental officers and the sirens of water trucks after the festival could become a vibrant nighttime attraction. The cleaning parade was planned to showcase the full scale of the cleaning operation mobilized for the event, offer residents a novel spectacle, and highlight the importance of restoring daily life after the festival.
After the festival ended, Seocho District mobilized 73 environmental officers, 5 water cleaning vehicles, and a total of 16 vehicles to clean the entire Banpo-daero in a parade-like procession. This was not just a simple cleanup, but a performance meant to convey the significance of "restoring daily life" to citizens.
Residents expressed their gratitude to the cleaning crew, offering coffee and gimbap throughout the night, and many lined up to take photos with the cleaning task force.
The environmental officers also expressed great pride. One officer said, "As cleaning is now recognized as meaningful work for the public, the internal atmosphere has become more lively, and we are even receiving messages of support from environmental officers in other districts."
Mayor Jeon said, "The reason this video received so much attention is ultimately thanks to the warm perspective of citizens toward those who protect our daily lives from unseen places," adding, "We will continue to create various content that shines a spotlight on the hidden heroes of everyday life in Seocho."
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