The Korea Times
“What bonus? I would rather spend less and feel good. Isn’t it better to live while helping one another?” Kim Jeong-nam, 89, is one of three residents of a jjokbang-chon — an enclave of cramped, single-room dwellings — in Bukseong-dong 1-ga in western Incheon, who together have spent about 50 years giving to others. She and her neighbors Kim Eun-im, 83, and Yoon Jeong-sim, 60, collect coins and small bills little by little each year and donate them to neighbors they say are in greater need. While the amounts are small compared with those of major donors, they take pride in a record of giving that has lasted for years. The shantytown formed after the Korean War, as people from across the country came to Incheon looking for work. In Bukseong-dong, low two-story houses stand pressed together, their thin walls nearly touching. More than 20 households once lived there. Now 14 remain, most of them low-income residents receiving basic livelihood benefits. On May 18, roses, lilies and carnations were in full bloom at Kim Jeong-nam’s house, where the residents gathered to talk about
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