Why Did Mapo-gu Launch the 'First to See, First to Greet' Campaign?

Mapo-gu Actively Promotes Village Festival and Saeujeot Festival Period, Produces and Distributes Stickers Featuring 'Kkaebi, Kkaesun' Characters

Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) has newly launched the ‘MeonMeonDay’ campaign, which encourages ‘the person who sees first greets first,’ to spread warm affection (jeong) within the community.

Recently, with the prevalence of closed residential forms and individualism, the sense of connection among neighbors has decreased, and social isolation and conflicts between neighbors have been intensifying.

Mapo-gu views the fundamental solution to various problems arising in a harsh and dry society as the restoration of social bonds and ‘jeong,’ and has chosen ‘shared greetings’ as the catalyst.

The ‘MeonMeonDay’ campaign means ‘the person who sees first greets first,’ and it plans to expand and implement this starting with Mapo-gu Office employees to related organizations, apartment complexes, welfare and educational facilities, and multi-use facilities within the area.

On the 29th, the district first conducted the ‘MeonMeonDay’ campaign targeting its employees. Mayor Park Gang-su and executives greeted employees arriving at the first-floor entrance and conducted a poll on preferred greeting phrases among the staff. The greeting phrase with the highest preference will be used as the official greeting phrase for employees going forward.

Additionally, on the afternoon of the 31st, in collaboration with the ‘Seongsan Comprehensive Social Welfare Center’ operated by Ewha Womans University, the campaign will be held targeting residents at Seongsan Apartment in Seongsan 2-dong.

On this day, the district will hold a campaign launch ceremony with residents and foster active communication among neighbors through activities such as distributing ‘MeonMeonDay’ stickers and badges, conducting a greeting phrase preference poll, and writing greeting message cards.

Furthermore, during the 16 village festivals starting in earnest from September and the Mapo-gu representative festival, the ‘Salted Shrimp Festival,’ active promotional activities will be carried out. ‘MeonMeonDay’ stickers featuring ‘Kkaebi’ and ‘Kkaesun,’ the Hongdae Red Road characters, will be distributed to related organizations and multi-use facilities in the area.

The district plans to continue the campaign throughout the community, including kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools, subway stations, and traditional markets, spreading warm bonds formed through greetings to all Mapo-gu residents.

Mayor Park Gang-su said, “Greeting is the most important and fundamental behavior for us as social beings to live together with others,” and added, “I hope the ‘MeonMeonDay’ campaign will serve as a catalyst for restoring social bonds and make Mapo-gu a community where no one is excluded or isolated and everyone can share warm jeong.”

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