Seongbuk-gu Office Employees Share Stationery for Youth, Creating a Warm Atmosphere

Selling Unlimited Refill Kimchi Stew for 3,000 Won for Youth Starts at 'Cheongnyeon Sikdang Mungan'... Many Youths Struggle to Afford Stationery, Seongbuk-gu Staff Collect Stationery Together After Hearing Sharing Request

Father Lee Moon-su Gabriel (left), who proposed sharing stationery for young people. Father Lee Moon-su, who runs , a restaurant in Jeongneung Market that sells unlimited refills of kimchi stew for 3,000 won for young people, said, "Since the restaurant is mainly used by young people, I often hear about their difficulties, and many have expressed that the burden of purchasing stationery is high, so I proposed sharing."

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] A special stationery sharing initiative by Seongbuk-gu employees is quietly touching hearts. They are pooling resources little by little to help young people who need stationery for studying or job preparation but feel burdened by the cost.

It started with 'Cheongnyeon Sikdang Mungan,' a restaurant in Jeongneung Market that offers unlimited kimchi stew refills for 3,000 won to support youth. Father Moonsoo Lee, who runs the restaurant, said, “Since the restaurant is mainly used by young people, I often hear about their difficulties, and many expressed that purchasing stationery is a heavy burden, which led me to propose this sharing initiative.”

At first, the post was made on Cheongnyeon Sikdang Mungan’s SNS without much expectation, but soon mysterious packages began arriving. Employees from Seongbuk-gu Office and nearby community centers, upon hearing the news, voluntarily shared the message to help youth and gathered stationery to share.

Various items poured in, from writing instruments, notebooks, memo pads, tumblers, lap blankets, to Polaroid cameras. Some even contributed paper clips to hold documents together.

Lee, a clerk from the Seongbuk-gu Finance Department, said, “Due to the nature of my work, I receive documents from all departments, and paper clips pile up to the size of an adult fist almost every month. It was awkward to ask for them back, and throwing them away felt wasteful, so I was stuck. I thought sharing these items, which everyone needs at some point but hesitates to buy, would be meaningful.” Indeed, paper clips are among the popular items sought by youth.

Im, a team leader from the Housing Policy Division, shared notebooks. Im, who said his wallet automatically opens whenever he sees notebooks since his school days, shared, “I actually use only one or two notebooks a year, but whenever I visit bookstores or souvenir shops, I buy more notebooks than children do. Hearing about youth in need of stationery made me reflect on their harsh reality and my own overspending habits, making this a meaningful opportunity.”

Participation from the general public has also continued. Kim Taewoo, who works at Kia Motors Jongno 5-ga branch and is an acquaintance of Anam-dong’s Kim Doyoung, heard about the stationery sharing from Kim and thought of it as an investment in future customers, donating about 100 promotional four-color pens.

The stationery shared by Seongbuk-gu employees is displayed in the youth cafe inside 'Cheongnyeon Sikdang Mungan,' where anyone can comfortably take what they need. The youth cafe is a representative place where young people living in the Jeongneung area gather to communicate freely and share information about employment and studies.

A 27-year-old preparing for employment at this place said, “I somewhat expected it, but the door to employment feels very high, causing a great sense of loss and anxiety. However, the kindness from strangers made me feel I am not alone, and if I achieve good results, I am determined to give back even a small share of kindness, which strengthened my resolve.”

Kim Do-young, the head of Anam-dong, who participated in the stationery sharing. An acquaintance who heard about the sharing from Head Kim considered it an investment for future customers and donated 100 promotional four-color ballpoint pens.

Seungro Lee, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “Seongbuk-gu is home to eight universities, and with various youth projects such as Campus Town and Dojeonsuk, the youth residential rate is higher than in other areas, so the local community’s interest in youth is relatively high. I understand that the stationery sharing by Seongbuk-gu employees, who are at the forefront of administration, naturally started and progressed in this atmosphere.” He added, “We will work even harder to ensure that this open-heartedness leads to better youth policies like Dojeonsuk and Campus Town and results in tangible outcomes that youth can feel.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.