Each Letter Filled with Longing for Parents 'Hangadeuk'

16 Outstanding Works Selected in Guro-gu, Local Newsletter and Blog Released...112 Submissions from 22nd Last Month to 11th This Month...Mayor Lee Seong Encourages Resident Participation by Writing Letters to His Late Parents, Drawing Attention

A handwritten letter from Lee Sung, Guro District Mayor, to his parents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Seong) announced the results of the "Love Letter" contest.

Guro-gu launched the "Writing a Love Letter to Parents in Hometown" campaign and held a contest from the 22nd of last month to the 11th of this month to ease the disappointment of residents who could not visit their hometowns due to COVID-19 despite the Chuseok holiday.

This campaign, carried out amid a mood of refraining from visiting hometowns due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, attracted significant media attention.

In particular, Mayor Lee Seong, who came up with the idea, drew attention by personally writing a letter to encourage residents' participation. Through the letter, Mayor Lee conveyed his longing for his parents who passed away over 20 years ago.

A total of 112 letters were submitted for this contest. Residents and local workers expressed their sadness about not being able to visit their hometowns, words they had not been able to say to their parents, memories of their parents and hometown, and longing, submitting their letters in the form of photos, scans, or electronic files.

On the 16th, Guro-gu selected 16 outstanding works through a judging committee composed of internal officials of the district office.

Resident A began with "A letter with no address to send to, to my mother whom I miss even more during Chuseok," expressing longing and love for his mother who worked hard all her life and passed away.

Resident B said, "Mom, you don’t have to insist on being the strong and tough Wonder Woman mom to your children anymore," promising to be a support for his ailing mother from now on.

Resident C recalled his childhood when he was sulking at his mother and said, "I have been studying, getting a job, getting married, and raising children, but I couldn’t properly show filial piety to my mother until now. I now express my gratitude."

Resident D expressed his longing, saying that it felt real that his mother had passed away since he could no longer visit her in the hospital, and added, "Although the time I lived with my mother was short, I am very thankful that she never gave up on us and shared her love."

Among the outstanding works, six letters will be published in full in the November issue of the district newsletter, and ten will be posted in full on the district blog.

A Guro-gu official said, "'Love Letter' has become a good opportunity to confirm the deep love among family members even in situations where they cannot meet directly due to COVID-19," and expressed gratitude to everyone who participated in the contest.

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