Foreign residents form Seoul's new community volunteer corps
Volunteers composed of international residents clean the historic Jeongjo Banchado mural along Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul, Sunday, as part of the launch of the city's newly formed Global Baro Volunteer Corps. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul has officially launched a new volunteer group composed of international residents in an initiative representing a new civic engagement model for Korea, as its foreign community continue to take an active role in shaping the city's civic life.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted an inauguration ceremony last weekend for the Global Baro Volunteer Corps at Seoul City Hall. Operating under the slogan "One Heart Seoul, Global Hands," the event drew roughly 200 participants, including Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs Kim Sung-bo and international volunteers from across the globe.
Comprising 314 foreign residents organized into 16 teams across 42 nationalities, the group draws members from nations including Vietnam, China, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Russia, Kazakhstan, Japan and Malaysia.
The roots of the project trace back to last year, when foreign residents spontaneously joined municipal relief teams responding to severe wildfires in the southern regions of Andong and Yeongdeok, as well as flood recovery in Yesan and Gapyeong. Impressed by the foreign volunteers' eagerness to pitch in during national emergencies, city officials decided to formalize the effort into a standing corps in March.
Since its soft launch earlier this year, corps members have mobilized across a broad spectrum of public initiatives, logging over 300 individual volunteer assignments. Volunteers provided multilingual interpretation and crowd control at major cultural events, including a massive BTS comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in March and the Seoul International Garden Expo. Beyond tourism logistics, members planted trees along Mount Bukhan and distributed cooling survival kits to vulnerable households during summer heatwaves.
Following Sunday's formal swearing-in ceremony and appointment presentations, volunteers marched to the nearby Cheonggye Stream for their initial official service project. Members scrubbed down the iconic Jeongjo Banchado — a historical tile mural depicting King Jeongjo’s 1795 royal procession — and planted seasonal flowers along the promenade.
Looking ahead, city leaders plan to expand the corps’ presence at high-traffic landmarks, stationing interpreters at the Seoul City Hall Sky Plaza Observatory and new Hangang Bus terminals.
"What unites everyone here is a shared commitment to loving Seoul and taking action for its future," the deputy mayor said.
By tapping into the diverse talents of its expanding foreign community, city officials said they hope to foster a stronger sense of shared civic identity that transcends nationality and language.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.