Seongdong-gu Wangsimni Square 'Slow Mailbox' Renovation

Emotional Postal Service Conveying the Aesthetics of Slowness and Memories in the Digital Age... Used by Over 1,000 People

A person putting a postcard into the newly renovated Wangsimni Square's 'Slow Mailbox'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "We deliver your precious and happy memories to the future."

In an era where communication happens in seconds through emails and texts, writing a letter by hand, putting it in a red mailbox, and waiting for a reply has become a memory for most people. Meanwhile, mailboxes have also disappeared.

In Wangsimni Square, Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh), there is a "Slow Mailbox." If you write a postcard filled with your heart to your beloved family, friends, or yourself and put it in the mailbox, it will be delivered one year later.

It is an emotional postal service that conveys the aesthetics of slowness and memories in the fast digital age.

This mailbox was started as a special project by the Haengdang 1-dong Residents' Autonomous Committee in September 2016. Since the project began, about 1,000 users have sent postcards, gifting memories.

On the 31st of last month, Haengdang 1-dong completed the mailbox's renovation. Reflecting residents' opinions that the existing mailbox was old and not noticeable due to its location, it was made larger than the previous size and painted bright yellow, inspired by the ginkgo tree, a symbol of Haengdang 1-dong. Its location was also moved to the north side of the Wangsimni Station Square rest area, a transfer station for four lines with high foot traffic and many visitors.

Postcards for memories are provided in the mailbox. On the back of the postcards are panoramic photos of Seongdong-gu’s representative landmarks such as Seoul Forest, Salgotgy Bridge, and Eungbongsan, allowing people to share memories along with Seongdong-gu.

Lee Byung-ho, chairman of the Haengdang 1-dong Residents' Autonomous Committee, said, "The committee patrols daily to manage the mailbox and collects postcards and cleans it two to three times a week. We will do our best to operate it so that the Slow Mailbox can become a symbol of Haengdang 1-dong."

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "During these difficult times, including the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope that the emotions conveyed by handwritten letters and the leisure of slowness can be delivered through the 'Slow Mailbox' amidst the harsh realities."

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