Wallpapering for needy households

There is no place like home. However, if home has mold on the walls and a sagging ceiling, its residents can hardly feel comfortable at all.Before spring flowers fully bloom, a group of volunteers in Dongjak-gu are planning to renovate the homes of needy people in the district with new wallpaper in the hope of bringing a sense of spring freshness. The volunteers are members of a program called “Love House,” which was started in 2000. Each year around 30 volunteers are recruited and around 500 ho

April 16, 2013

Seoul mayor joins shoe donation campaign

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon joined a campaign event in Seoul Square Tuesday to raise the importance of shoes for barefooted poor children. The annual campaign, entitled “One Day Without Shoes,” not only promotes the importance of shoes to the health and education of children but also a private company’s drive to give shoes to impoverished kids in underdeveloped countries. Last year, the event was held in 3,000 locations in about 50 countries.In Seoul, TOMS and Seoul City held related events. TOMS

April 16, 2013

Ryu to establish ‘HJ99’ charity fund for children

South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers is pushing to create a foundation for less fortunate children. “I am preparing to establish a charity foundation because I want to do good things,” the 26-year-old said Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to a Yonhap news agency report. “It will take about six months to complete the work under the related U.S. laws.”He has already named the charity fund “HJ99 Foundation,” using the initials in his given name and his jersey number, 99. Ry

April 16, 2013

Musical troupe overcomes disability with sign language, facial expression

Every show by musical troupe K.SMART ends with a standing ovation, prompted not only by their performance, but also a sense of empathy, inspiration and respect for the performers who are deaf and mute.The Korean Sign-language Musical Art Team consisting of 20 performers with hearing disabilities has been staging musicals for more than a decade at home and abroad. Despite the sophisticated choreography and vivid acting, one essential part of a musical is absent: the performers’ own voices.  While

April 2, 2013

NongHyup launches joint welfare project for farmers

NongHyup has launched a joint project with several private organizations to provide a package of various welfare services to farmers. The “Farmers’ Happiness Bus” project, launched in a ceremony at NongHyup in Seoul on Tuesday, will offer a combination of medical services, entertainment and cultural performances, free legal counseling and other welfare activities for farmers.Medical services will be provided by Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine and Himchan Hospital. Korea Legal Aid Corp. also

April 2, 2013

[Photo News] Aid for the unsheltered

March 6, 2013

Total number of KOICA overseas volunteers tops 10,000

The accumulated number of overseas service volunteers dispatched by the Korean government exceeded 10,000 on Tuesday.The Korea International Cooperation Agency, a government institution in charge of assistance to underdeveloped and developing countries, said that a group of 10 volunteers left the country Tuesday for overseas service, bringing the total number of its overseas service corps to 10,009.  The agency first sent 44 volunteers to four countries ― Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Phil

March 5, 2013

Elderly performer helps others with her talents

In the frigid days of late December to the first week of this month, snow piled ankle high on the streets of Jingwan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, northwestern Seoul. Newly remodeled buildings of Indeokwon, a nursing home standing on a low hill, are where nurses and social workers take care of around 300 elderly people.In a room of the facility, a woman in bright clothing moves around singing “Gakseol-i Taryong,” a satirical and humorous song also known as “The Beggar’s Song,” with a rough but charming vo

Feb. 19, 2013

Hyundai Heavy worker donates W100m from 25 years of work

An ordinary worker recently donated 100 million won he had saved up over 25 years of working at his company to his less fortunate neighbors.Park Woo-hyun, a 57-year-old technician who test runs large engines at Hyundai Heavy Industries, recently gave 50 million won each to the Ulsan branches of the Korean Red Cross and the Community Chest of Korea, his employer said Tuesday. Born the eldest son of six to a poor farmer in Gokseong, South Jeolla Province, Park has never forgotten his gratitude to

Feb. 5, 2013

‘Awareness and open minds needed to eradicate leprosy’

Governments should keep track of Hansen’s disease and support projects helping those who suffer from it, says Klaus Leisinger, chairman of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development.He visited Seoul last week to receive the Korea Hansen Grand Award from Hanvit Welfare Association, a government-affiliated agency to fight the disease better known as leprosy. Hansen’s disease is caused by two strains of bacteria. While most healthy individuals are able to fight off the infection before any

Jan. 22, 2013

Sejung spreads holiday cheer to seniors living alone

Sejung Group, a Busan-based group built on the fashion business, has spread holiday cheer to less fortunate neighbors for 15 years in a row. Its executives and employees launched a service corps for Lunar New Year’s Day in front of the group headquarters in Busan on Tuesday. They visited 100 senior citizens living alone nearby and gave them rice, instant noodles and other basics. Lunar New Year’s Day falls on Feb. 10, this year. Sejung also donated 450 million won in money and goods to Busan Cit

Jan. 22, 2013

Seoul urged to open up to refugees

Lee Ho-taeg and Cho Myung-sook, an activist couple, went on their honeymoon to China in 1997, with a secret mission to bring 13 North Korean defectors to the South. They fled thousands of kilometers to cross the Chinese border to seek refuge at the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam. They had to stay locked in hotel rooms waiting for the entry permits from the Seoul government. After Seoul backpedaled for days, they were forced by Vietnamese authorities to return to China, and were stranded on the

Jan. 8, 2013

Lotte Group donates W5b to charity fundraiser

Lotte Group donated 5 billion won ($4.6 million) to the Community Chest of Korea Wednesday for underprivileged neighbors.Lee In-won, vice chairman of the group’s policy headquarters, delivered the money to the charity fundraiser in Seoul on behalf of chairman-in-chief Shin Kyuk-ho and employees. “I hope that our interest in and consideration for less fortunate neighbors would be of help for all members of our society to live a happy life,” Shin said through Lee. “We will continue to share with o

Dec. 26, 2012

U.S. soldiers, families donate briquettes to low-income homes

U.S. soldiers stationed in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, gave briquettes to local residents Wednesday.About 70 soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division handed over 10,000 briquettes to less fortunate residents in a nearby village who could barely afford fuel in the winter.They and their families chipped in to raise about 5 million won to buy the briquettes, and braved the severely cold weather Wednesday to deliver them in person.Recipient homes were chosen beforehand by a community service center

Dec. 26, 2012

Fiddle maker offers hope to kids

Born to a impoverished family, Hong Ui-hyun gave up on studies after graduating from middle school. He happened to work at a musical instrument factory and soon fell in love with the elegant lines and beautiful sounds of violin, which helped the desperate boy to tide over many harsh years. Two decades later, Hong is now the owner of one of Korea’s leading string instrument makers and a devoted practitioner of the power of music for children who are poor, abandoned or suffering mental disorders.

Dec. 26, 2012

Hana Financial takes initiative in social contributions

Hana Financial Group is carrying out a variety of social contribution activities, as a promise for shared growth with the underprivileged in the local and overseas market.Earlier this year, Hana Bank, the group’s flagship unit, finished a tree planting event in Thai Binh Phu and Nam Phu, Vietnam, aimed at enriching the mangrove woods in the region.Mangrove woods are thought to help prevent global warming by absorbing Carbon-dioxide and protect coastal areas from natural disasters.In the event, a

Dec. 19, 2012