By UN Journal Kayla Lee

 

The Jongno-gu Saemaul Association (Chairman Park Nae-chun) successfully held its 2025 General Assembly on the afternoon of Jan. 23 at the 4th floor of the Ewha-dong Community Center.

 

The general meeting was attended by about 70 delegates, including Chairman Park Nae-chun, Jongno-gu Mayor Chung Moon-heon, Jongno-gu Council Chairman Ra Do-gyun, and Jongno-gu Council members, as well as about 100 local residents and officials of the Saemaul movement.

 

 

The general assembly received reports on the main business performance and revenue and expenditure settlement for 2024, and approved the basic business plan and budget for 2025.

 

In his greeting, Chairman Park Nae-chun emphasized the basic spirit of the Saemaul Movement in 2025, which is “hard work, self-help, and cooperation,” and announced the vision of “Together, Saemaul, to the world in the future.” He expressed his strong ambition to contribute to the development of local communities through the youth-oriented Saemaul Movement.

 

 

In particular, Park emphasized that he would realize “Youth Saemaul Revitalization” by expanding youth membership and reorganizing the Saemaul organization.

 

He also presented specific directions for implementation, including “Green Saemaul” for environmental protection and sustainable development, “Healthy Saemaul” to address the low birthrate and aging population, and “Cultural Saemaul” to resolve social conflicts and provide disaster relief.

 

 

In his congratulatory remarks, Jongno-gu Mayor Chung Moon-heon emphasized the importance of the Saemaul movement, saying, “The Saemaul movement is not just a local activity, but an important volunteer activity that supports the foundation of our society. I hope that Jongno-gu will become the main pillar of the Saemaul movement, further strengthen the community spirit, and grow together with the community.”

 

“In particular, we need to create an environment where the younger generation can actively participate in the Saemaul movement, so that future generations can contribute to community development with pride,” said Chung, pledging Jongno-gu's full support for the youth-oriented Saemaul movement.

 

 

He also called on the Saemaul Movement to take the lead in addressing various social issues, including environmental protection, addressing the low birthrate and aging population, and expanding sharing and caring activities, adding, “Jongno-gu will do its best to work with the Saemaul Association for the sustainable development of the community.”

 

Mayor Chung's message was well received by the attendees and raised expectations for Jongno-gu Saemaul Association's activities in 2025.

 

 

Through this general meeting, the Jongno-gu Saemaul Association redefined the new direction of the Saemaul Movement and reinforced its commitment to pursue various projects with local residents.

 

Chairman Park Nae-chun expressed his ambition to “establish the Saemaul Movement as a driving force for local communities and take the lead in achieving sustainable development and globalization,” and promised to continue to play a community-centered role in the future.