The charity event at Ewha Girls' High School drew support for children in need, with Assembly member Woo Won-shik, a former National Assembly speaker, among those in attendance.
Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Baek Sun-hee attended a charity bazaar connected to Sarangeui Nanoom, a Japan-based private volunteer organization, continuing her ties with Korea-Japan civil exchange networks.
Baek attended the Sarangeui Chingudeul charity bazaar held Saturday at Ewha Girls' High School in Seoul. The event brought together Assembly member Woo Won-shik, a former National Assembly speaker, along with Kim Un-cheon, chairman of Sarangeui Nanoom, and members of the Japan-based group.
Assembly member Woo Won-shik, a former National Assembly speaker, and Rep. Baek Sun-hee pose for a photo with participants of Sarangeui Nanoom.
The bazaar was organized to support children living in difficult circumstances, bringing together volunteer groups and citizens in a spirit of voluntary giving and community sharing.
Baek has worked in child welfare and social welfare and has maintained a sustained interest in welfare issues affecting children and future generations.
A special lecture titled "Human Dignity and Future Generations — Family, Care and Society in an Era of Demographic Crisis," held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on June 12, 2026.
Last year, Baek attended a special lecture in Tokyo by HOPE NK, a private think tank focused on North Korea affairs, held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. Ahead of the lecture, she also took part in the 14th-generation Yi Sam-pyeong ceramics exhibition organized by Sarangeui Nanoom, where she met Chairman Kim and other members of the group.
Akie Abe, the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also attended the HOPE NK lecture. The event, centered on human dignity and future generations, served as a forum for private-sector participants from both Korea and Japan to discuss humanitarian challenges. The Seoul bazaar allowed those connections forged in Japan to continue.
"Helping children in difficult circumstances grow up without losing hope is a responsibility that all of society shares," Baek said. "It is especially meaningful that the ties I formed with Sarangeui Nanoom in Tokyo last year have now carried over into this Seoul charity bazaar."
She added that she was deeply grateful to the Japan-based Korean volunteer organization for "empathizing with the suffering of neighbors across borders and putting the spirit of sharing into practice," and pledged to keep working to ensure that Korea-Japan civil exchange translates into concrete cooperation for the well-being of children and future generations.
Baek's participation is notable for the way it connects her background as a child welfare expert with her engagement in Korea-Japan civil exchange. The event underscored the importance of sustained involvement by private volunteer organizations — alongside government-level policy support — in improving child welfare.
Sarangeui Nanoom is a Japan-based volunteer group that has carried out charitable activities for children and those in need on both sides of the Korea-Japan divide. Approaching its 30th anniversary of volunteer work in 2027, the organization runs its activities in both countries through the voluntary participation and support of its members.
Rep. Baek Sun-hee and Sarangeui Nanoom Chairman Kim Un-cheon pose for a photo.
Sarangeui Nanoom Chairman Kim Un-cheon expressed gratitude to those in attendance after the event, saying he believed "our small acts of sincerity and sharing will become a precious source of hope and happiness for children in need."
sjkim@heraldcorp.com
