Gangseo-gu Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon Serves Samgyetang at Hwagok 1-dong ‘Sharing Event,’ Helping Some 100 Seniors Stay Healthy in Summer with Red Cross Volunteers

Organized by the Hwagok 1-dong Korean Red Cross Volunteer Group ahead of the height of summer, the event featured herbal samgyetang along with seasonal fruit and rice cakes prepared with care

Song Jung-sook, Reporter Posted 2026/07/07 [19:01] Article No. 51689

Jin Kyo-hoon, mayor of Seoul’s Gangseo-gu, took part in a samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) sharing event held on Tuesday, July 7, at the Hwagok 1-dong Community Service Center, personally serving the soup to elderly residents. The event was arranged by the Hwagok 1-dong branch of the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Group (chair Kang Bu-gyeong) to help local seniors get through the summer in good health ahead of the season’s peak. The group invited some 100 elderly residents and treated them to herbal samgyetang, seasonal fruit and rice cakes.

[코리안투데이] Serving volunteers at the samgyetang sharing event © 송정숙 기자

From early in the morning, a steady stream of nearby seniors made their way to the Hwagok 1-dong Community Service Center. Volunteer members were busy welcoming guests as they carefully simmered the soup and set the tables, and Mayor Jin donned an apron and joined the serving line, handing a warm bowl of samgyetang to each senior. Members and seniors exchanged greetings and words of concern for one another’s health, keeping the mood warm and convivial.

Samgyetang has long been regarded as a quintessential summer restorative dish for revitalizing bodies worn down by the heat. Summer in particular—with prolonged heat waves and tropical nights—makes health management especially difficult for seniors who live alone or have limited mobility. Beyond simply providing a single meal, the sharing event carried a deeper meaning: it reflected a spirit of warmth in which the community looks after the well-being of its more vulnerable seniors and endures the sweltering heat together.

The Hwagok 1-dong Korean Red Cross Volunteer Group regularly carries out a range of service activities for local seniors and neighbors. This event, too, was filled with voluntary participation, as members joined hands to prepare the ingredients and cook the food. The warm meal arranged by neighbors’ hands delivered not only physical nourishment but also emotional comfort to the seniors, serving as an occasion to reaffirm the bonds of the local community.

“I am deeply grateful to the Hwagok 1-dong Korean Red Cross Volunteer Group for preparing this event for our local seniors,” Mayor Jin said. “I hope everyone enjoys the samgyetang that our members prepared so wholeheartedly and with such care, and that you all stay healthy through this summer.”

Gangseo-gu is expected to continue paying close attention to neighborhood sharing activities that look after seniors and other vulnerable groups, building on its cooperation with local volunteer organizations. Held as the heat of summer sets in, this samgyetang sharing event is likely to stand as a notable example of a community’s warmth being passed on to its neighbors.