Seongbuk-gu Fashion Sewing Business Owners Donate 10,000 Masks to 'Brotherly Nation' Turkey

To the brotherly nation Turkey, "Cheer Up Turkey!" with support to overcome COVID-19... 300,000 Seongbuk-gu National Safety Masks brought relief amid the COVID-19 crisis

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The owners of fashion sewing companies in Seongbuk-gu, who were pushed into crisis by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), donated 10,000 masks to Turkey, the brotherly nation, expressing their desire to give back the help they received during difficult times.

The Seoul Fashion Textile Sewing Association (President Oh Byung-ryeol), composed of about 1,600 small and medium fashion sewing companies in the Seongbuk-gu area, visited the Seongbuk-gu Office on the 17th and handed over 10,000 'Cheer Up! Turkey Masks' to be used by the Turkish people to overcome COVID-19.

At the event, Ersin Er?in, the Turkish Ambassador to Korea, attended and further highlighted the generosity of the Seongbuk-gu fashion sewing company owners.

Ambassador Ersin Er?in said, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only Turkey but the entire world has been greatly inspired and influenced by South Korea’s quarantine efforts,” adding, “The masks, which carry a special story, will strengthen the Turkish people's will and hope to overcome COVID-19.”

The special story behind the 'Cheer Up! Turkey Masks' mentioned by Ambassador Ersin Er?in is as follows.

The areas of Bomun-dong, Jangwi-dong, and Seokgwan-dong in Seongbuk-gu are home to about 1,600 fashion sewing companies, making it the undisputed center of the fashion sewing industry. However, as COVID-19 spread, orders were canceled, and even prepared shipments were blocked from export, causing significant damage. The sound of sewing machines, which never stopped in the alleys 365 days a year, came to a halt.

The crisis did not stop there. Since fashion sewing accounts for more than half of Seongbuk-gu’s manufacturing industry, their crisis quickly became a crisis for the local economy of Seongbuk-gu.

To overcome this problem, Seongbuk-gu, after much deliberation, started the National Safety Mask project.

Amid the mask shortage caused by COVID-19 and the increasing difficulties faced by sewing small business owners and all small merchants, this project produces and distributes KF80-level filter-replaceable cotton masks, solving both problems at once.

Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro personally rolled up his sleeves and gathered the hearts of cities facing similar situations, leading to a pledge among nine autonomous districts.

Thirty fashion sewing companies in Seongbuk-gu participated in producing the National Safety Masks. The district proactively ordered a total of 300,000 masks (200,000 for Seongbuk-gu Office + 100,000 requested by Gangseo-gu), helping local sewing small business owners overcome economic difficulties.

For the fashion sewing companies, the National Safety Masks were like rain in a drought, providing work. The sewing machines that had stopped started running again, and they could pay their monthly rent. As global praise for K-quarantine continued, mask orders also came in.

Oh Byung-ryeol, president of the Seoul Fashion Textile Sewing Association, said, “March to June is the peak season for fashion sewing companies, but this year, due to COVID-19, they had to cruelly spend half of the peak season,” adding, “In this situation, as the National Safety Masks provided a lifeline, voices within the association gradually emerged to return the help we received to those facing crises due to COVID-19, and we decided to donate 'Cheer Up! Turkey Masks' to the brotherly nation Turkey.”

To avoid bringing shame to the name of South Korea, great care was taken not only with the masks but also with the packaging. Antibacterial fabric that does not require filter replacement was used, and design elements were added. Considering the sentiments of the Turkish people, the Istanbul Cultural Center of Turkey was approached, and the Turkish phrase ‘G?ney Kore Seongbuk-gu Belediyesi 450,000 n?fusunun tamamıyla Karde? ?lke T?rkiye’yi destekliyor!’ meaning ‘The 450,000 citizens of Seongbuk-gu, South Korea, support the brotherly nation Turkey!’ was printed on the packaging.

Regarding the beautiful good deeds of the local fashion sewing company owners, Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “Thanks to the overnight work and rapid production of the National Safety Masks, we were able to protect not only the health and safety of those on the front lines of COVID-19 response but also the 450,000 residents of Seongbuk-gu,” adding, “Coincidentally, a letter was received from Beyo?lu District of Istanbul, Turkey, Seongbuk-gu’s sister city, expressing hope to share know-how on overcoming COVID-19. The story of the Seongbuk-gu fashion sewing company owners, who want to give back the help they received and play a leading role in administration, seems to be a good response.”

The 'Cheer Up! Turkey Masks' will be distributed to Turkish Korean War veterans, their families, and low-income groups.

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