Catholic Workers' Hall, a Support Pillar for the Underprivileged for 48 Years, Selected for Asan Award

Medical Volunteer Award to Director Wooseok Jeong and Social Service Award to CEO Jeong-A Lee

Asan Social Welfare Foundation announced on the 25th that it has selected the Catholic Workers' Center as the recipient of the 35th Asan Award Grand Prize. Director Woo Seok-jeong of Long An Segyero Hospital in Vietnam was selected for the Medical Volunteer Service Award, and Lee Jeong-ah, CEO of the Mulpeure Namu Youth Community, was selected for the Social Volunteer Service Award.

Father Lee Gwan-hong (second from the left), representative of the Catholic Workers' Hall, and children of migrant workers.
[Photo by Asan Social Welfare Foundation]

The Catholic Workers' Center was recognized for its contribution to welfare enhancement by supporting marginalized workers, foreign migrant workers, marriage migrant women, and refugees in our society for the past 48 years. The Catholic Workers' Center was established in Daegu in 1975 by Father Park Ki-hong (birth name Joseph Platz), who was originally from Austria. Father Park, who had been advocating for workers' rights in Austria, came to Korea in 1970 and served as the chaplain of the Catholic Labor Youth Association. Feeling the need for an independent institution for workers, he built the Catholic Workers' Center, a building with one basement floor and three above-ground floors, in 1975 with the help of the German Overseas Aid Foundation.

When poor labor conditions became an issue in the 1970s, the Catholic Workers' Center helped workers find their rights through education for union members, labor issue counseling, academic education for low-educated workers, and labor law education. In the 1990s, as the number of foreign migrant workers rapidly increased and their difficulties such as industrial accidents, wage arrears, and visa issues grew, the center began supporting migrant workers from 1994 by operating free clinics and shelters and providing legal counseling. In addition, for marriage migrant women and their children, the center operated family counseling and Korean language classes, and provided emergency living expenses and daily necessities when residency status issues arose due to divorce. For refugee applicants and their families who lived as day laborers without obtaining refugee status, the center provided childcare fees and living expenses.

Medical Volunteer Service Award winner Woo Seok-jeong, director of Long An Segyero Hospital in Vietnam, has been practicing medical humanitarianism in underserved areas of Vietnam since 2001. Director Woo started mobile clinics for Vietnamese residents and established Long An Segyero Hospital in a rural area near Ho Chi Minh City in 2006, treating about 36,000 patients annually. He helped patients with congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate, and burn injuries receive surgery, and devoted himself to treating and rehabilitating children with congenital disabilities caused by the hereditary effects of Agent Orange, providing free support to residents in underserved areas.

Lee Jeong-ah, CEO of Mulpeure Namu Youth Community, who received the Social Volunteer Service Award, began teaching at a night school for underprivileged youth in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province in 1988 and has been helping children and youth in crisis. She developed a small community started at home into a meal truck, restaurant, self-reliant dormitory, and bus-type youth center. CEO Lee provided meals and places to rest for children and youth marginalized by abuse and neglect, shared their concerns, and helped them overcome difficulties. She also led the establishment and operation of civic organization networks and cooperatives.

The award ceremony will be held on November 23 at the auditorium of the Asan Life Sciences Research Institute, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Songpa-gu, Seoul. The Catholic Workers' Center will receive a prize of 300 million KRW, and Director Woo Seok-jeong and CEO Lee Jeong-ah will each receive 200 million KRW. Additionally, 13 recipients in three categories?Welfare Practice Award, Volunteer Service Award, and Filial Piety & Family Award?will each receive 20 million KRW, totaling 960 million KRW in prize money awarded to 16 recipients (including organizations) across six categories.

Meanwhile, the Asan Social Welfare Foundation formed a judging committee and an operating committee composed of experts from various fields to conduct a comprehensive review of candidates' merits and selected the winners of the 35th awards. The foundation established the Asan Award in 1989 to encourage individuals or organizations who have devoted themselves to helping neighbors in need or practicing filial piety.

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