Finding 'Happiness' in Books...Jongno-gu Operates 'Haengbokhan Book Club' (Happy Books)

Operation of Jongno1787 Haengbuk (happy books) Club... Jongno1787 means 17 administrative districts and 87 legal districts... Participants will read happy books monthly, discuss, and create happy sentences

2018 Jongno Happiness Index Resident Briefing Session 'Asking the Way to Happiness'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) will operate the 'Jongno1787 Haengbuk (happy books) Club' from March, spreading a shared sense of happiness within the local community by sharing the joy that books bring with family, neighbors, and friends, and is now recruiting participants.

'Jongno1787' represents the number of administrative neighborhoods (17) and legal neighborhoods (87) in Jongno-gu, reflecting the hope that all residents will equally find happiness.

As part of the '2021 Jongno Well-being Index Rounding Project' aimed at enhancing residents' happiness, anyone living in the area can participate.

The meeting frequency is once a month, and the locations include Jongno-gu Lifelong Learning Center, public libraries, private libraries, bookstores, and more.

Participants in the Haengbuk Club will engage in activities such as ▲reading one happiness-themed book each month ▲discussing the happiness found in the books ▲creating a 'Happiness Sentence' by compiling participants' thoughts on happiness into one sentence ▲sharing the Happiness Sentence with neighbors.

The district plans to complete participant selection by the 22nd of this month, hold a meeting at the end of February to discuss the Haengbuk Club operation plan, and officially start operations from March.

In addition to regular meetings, various events such as book concerts featuring invited authors will be organized to increase participant satisfaction.

Residents who wish to join the Haengbuk Club can contact the Happiness Dream Team at the Health City Division of Jongno-gu Office.

Meanwhile, Jongno-gu piloted the Haengbuk Club from September to the end of last year targeting local reading clubs. The pilot was conducted by reading one designated book each month, followed by discussions and submission of book reviews. After the pilot, a satisfaction survey was conducted among participants. The results showed 71% were 'very satisfied' and 29% 'satisfied,' indicating a very positive response from participating residents.

Reflecting on last year's pilot results, this year the district plans to diversify participant groups to include office workers, multicultural families, volunteers, and lower the barriers to joining reading discussions. The happiness-designated books will also be expanded to up to 30 titles to broaden choices, allowing each group to select preferred books to read, thereby enhancing autonomy.

Additionally, after the 'Happiness Sentence Creation' activity, participants will share it with neighbors and certify it through photos or videos to help spread the happiness consensus.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, "As part of the Jongno Well-being Index Rounding Project, we plan to steadily promote diverse and meaningful resident-participation happiness practice projects this year as well," adding, "We will continue efforts to institutionalize happiness policies so that the value of happiness is reflected in district administration."

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