Gangnam-gu Council attends Senior Talent Plus Corps performance review; members contribute expertise in healthcare, education and the arts
Seniors in Gangnam-gu are building a new model of community contribution by sharing the experience and talents they have accumulated over a lifetime.
The Gangnam-gu Council attended the Gangnam Senior Talent Plus Corps performance review Monday afternoon at the Samsung 2-dong Community Cultural Center, where members observed the group's achievements over the past year and joined in a variety of performances staged by the senior participants.
The Gangnam Senior Talent Plus Corps is led by violinist Lee Eun-sook as director and actor Lee Byung-jun as honorary director. The group comprises 157 seniors between the ages of 60 and 74 who have built expertise across fields including healthcare, education and the arts.
Since its founding in November 2025, the corps has shared members' knowledge and skills with neighbors across medicine, education and the performing arts, bringing fresh energy to the local community. The initiative is particularly significant for treating senior expertise as a social asset rather than limiting it to conventional volunteer work.
Gangnam-gu Council Welfare and Culture Committee Chair Oh On-nuri and lawmaker Lee Jong-won attended the event. Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi was also present, along with corps members and officials from senior welfare organizations, bringing total attendance to about 170. The gathering offered an opportunity to reflect on a year of activities and exchange ideas.
The event opened with a pre-ceremony performance by the Gangnam Senior Ensemble. A series of varied performances followed — spoon nanta drumming by Daechi Senior Welfare Center, ballet by Nonhyeon Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center, a children's play and harmonica performance by Gangnam Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center, and a dance number by the Happy Dream team from Gangnam Senior Plaza.
A highlight came when Lee Byung-jun — the group's honorary director and an actor known for his roles in the drama series "Dream High," "Secret Garden" and "God of Study" — delivered back-to-back vocal performances that drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.
In her congratulatory remarks, Welfare and Culture Committee Chair Oh said she was deeply grateful to everyone who had pooled their hearts and efforts over the past year to share the seniors' talents with their neighbors and who had created a warm forum for connection through Monday's performance review. "Watching the performances, I was deeply reminded that age cannot be a barrier to bringing joy to others through experience and talent," she said.
She added that the Gangnam-gu Council would work to improve the welfare environment so that the rich experience and expertise of seniors can shine as a valued asset in society, and would continue to support senior participation and talent sharing.
The performance review drew attention for viewing seniors not merely as recipients of welfare services but as active contributors to the community, grounded in their experience and expertise — a perspective that carries particular weight in an aging society. The event is expected to serve as a catalyst for enriching local communities by broadening opportunities for seniors to share their accumulated wisdom and engage more fully in society.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
