Jang Dong-hyeok visits youth welfare facility in Uijeongbu

Jeong Jeom-sik donates groceries at Seoul low-income housing area

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok makes rice cakes with youths at a welfare facility in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday as part of a chuseok volunteer event organized by the party's youth wing, Young Red Wing. [Yonhap]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok makes rice cakes with youths at a welfare facility in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday as part of a chuseok volunteer event organized by the party's youth wing, Young Red Wing. [Yonhap]

People Power Party leadership visited a youth welfare facility and a low-income housing area Wednesday, the day before the chuseok holiday, to check on vulnerable residents rather than exchange seasonal greetings at crowded train stations.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok visited a welfare facility for "out-of-home youth" in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, that morning, making rice cakes with the residents and sharing lunch with them.

Policy committee chairwoman Im Yi-ja, Secretary-General Jeong Hui-yong, supreme council members and about 20 members of the party's youth volunteer wing, Young Red Wing, accompanied Jang.

Jang told the youths that his years on the bench had taught him that "the amount of love and happiness a person receives in their youth is the amount of happiness they can pass on to their own children." He said it was the state's duty to ensure young people were filled with enough love and happiness.

He went on to promise that "not just families, but all of society will work to fill your lives with love and happiness," urging them not to lose courage or hope.

Also Wednesday, floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik visited a low-income housing area in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, accompanied by chief floor spokesperson Choi Su-jin, Chief of Staff Yun Yong-geun and other floor leadership members.

Jeong toured Ongi Changgo, a warehouse-style community store operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in the area, and donated groceries including rice, seaweed soup and ramyun. He then met with residents to inspect shared bathrooms and shower facilities and exchanged holiday greetings.

Speaking to reporters, Jeong said he had come to "see and hear firsthand whether residents were facing any inconveniences or difficulties," adding that it was politics' responsibility to be the first to reach out whenever people go through hard times.

He said a walkthrough of the area had revealed many issues requiring careful attention — from heating ahead of winter to health concerns and minor everyday inconveniences. He pledged to ensure Wednesday's visit would not end as a single day of comfort, but would bear fruit in real policy changes that make a tangible difference in residents' lives.


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