Korea Eximbank, Koscom, KAMCO, Lotte Homeshopping, and Others Sponsor Yeongdeungpo-gu '0 Won Market' Popularity

If You Are a Resident Facing Financial Hardship, Receive Essential Goods Worth 30,000 KRW... Program Started in January This Year, Serving About 700 People Monthly and Over 5,000 in Total

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] A small but significant 30,000 won, which for some may be a week's living expenses. In Yeongdeungpo-gu, there is a place that willingly provides essential goods worth 30,000 won to residents struggling with their livelihood without any questions asked.

This is the ‘Yeongwon (0-won) Market,’ which opened in January this year as the first of its kind in Seoul. The district explained that ‘Yeongwon Market’ is a play on words meaning both ‘a market desired by Yeongdeungpo residents’ and a ‘0-won market’ with no payment required.

Currently operated by the Yeongdeungpo-gu Social Welfare Council, Yeongwon Market stocks a variety of support items including food such as rice, ramen, and bread, daily necessities like shampoo and toothbrushes, as well as clothing and miscellaneous goods. Any resident facing economic difficulties can freely take items worth up to 30,000 won. As a result, since its launch in January, about 700 people visit the Yeongwon Market each month, with approximately 5,000 visitors to date, receiving great support from many residents.

To identify welfare blind spots, those who use Yeongwon Market more than twice are connected with local community center officials for counseling and provided with customized welfare services. Through counseling, users can receive welfare benefits such as national basic livelihood security and rental housing that they were previously unaware of, and additionally, they can use the food bank or market once a month until the end of the year.

So far, over 2,400 users who visited Yeongwon Market more than twice have received welfare counseling, and among them, 133 new welfare beneficiaries have been identified, greatly contributing to resolving welfare blind spots.

The funding for Yeongwon Market has been provided through sponsorships from various companies such as the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Koscom, KAMCO, Lotte Home Shopping, as well as religious organizations including Daerim Church, Hanyeong Church, and Won Buddhism Yeongdeungpo Temple.

The district encourages corporate and religious social responsibility activities through Yeongwon Market and aims to provide direct benefits to economically struggling residents.

Additionally, heartwarming stories related to Yeongwon Market continue to emerge. These include cases of single-parent families who became self-reliant after receiving welfare services through Yeongwon Market, citizens who used the market and then sponsored neighbors in greater need, and donors who contributed cash after hearing about the hardships of market users featured in newspapers. Amid difficult times for everyone, these stories of sharing warm hearts with neighbors enrich Yeongwon Market even more.

Yeongwon Market operates at existing food bank and market locations for residents’ convenience. Anyone can visit and use the services at ▲Dangsan 1-dong Branch 1 (80 Seonyu-dong 1-ro) ▲Singil 1-dong Branch 2 (9-17 Dosin-ro 54-gil) ▲Singil 6-dong Branch 3 (7 Singil-ro 8-gil) without any burden.

Cha Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “Yeongwon Market is wide open for all residents struggling due to COVID-19, so please feel free to visit. We will realize more meticulous welfare so that not a single resident suffers from hunger and build a Yeongdeungpo where everyone lives well together.”

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