Suncheon-si Launches 'Gwonbun Store' Practicing Free Sharing

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon City (Mayor Heo Seok) announced on the 9th that it has opened a ‘Gwonbun Store’ where economically struggling Suncheon citizens due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic can freely take daily necessities for free.

The Gwonbun Store is a free-sharing store where economically disadvantaged citizens can freely take daily necessities worth about 30,000 KRW once a month per person. It was named ‘Gwonbun Store’ with the intention of eliminating welfare blind spots and creating a happy Suncheon City together with neighbors in need, as an extension of the Suncheon-style Gwonbun Movement to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

The support items include food products such as rice, Hetbahn (ready-to-eat rice), and ramen, as well as daily necessities like tissue paper, detergent, shampoo, and conditioner. These items are provided through sponsorships and donations from companies and individuals.

The Gwonbun Store operates on weekdays from around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those who wish to use the service can bring their ID and fill out a simple application form at the Gwonbun Store (30-18, Jungang 1-gil) before using the service.

From the second use onward, customized welfare counseling linked with the Eup/Myeon/Dong administrative welfare centers is also available, which is expected to help identify welfare blind spots.

The city plans to provide a home delivery service where volunteer groups visit the homes of applicants who wish to use the Gwonbun Store but have severe disabilities or mobility difficulties due to old age.

Mayor Heo Seok of Suncheon said, “Since the store is designed for citizens struggling with their livelihood to use freely, we ask for active cooperation from citizens so that neighbors who truly need support can receive help.” He added, “We will do our best to ensure that not a single Suncheon citizen suffers from hunger due to COVID-19.”

Meanwhile, the Suncheon-style Gwonbun Movement began as a campaign to help neighbors worried about meals after free meal services were suspended due to COVID-19. It has expanded into a citywide movement from Season 1’s Gwonbun Package Delivery to Season 2’s mask distribution to all citizens, and Season 3’s Good Prepayment Gwonbun Movement.

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