Ganghwa Pungmul Market, the largest traditional market in Ganghwa County, is a well-known local attraction. On the morning of February 17, around 11 a.m., the area surrounding the market brightened with activity despite the lingering winter chill. A total of 280 members of ASEZ STAR (the Church of God Student Volunteer Group) from the Southwest Incheon Region, gathered during their school break to carry out a large-scale cleanup. Some participants even traveled for about an hour and a half by car to take part in the activity.
Ganghwa Pungmul Market is not only a popular tourist destination but also a busy transit area due to a nearby bus terminal, making proper environmental management essential for public hygiene and the area’s image. At around 11 a.m., the volunteers—well prepared with winter gear—put on gloves, picked up tongs and trash bags, and began their work. Divided into four teams, they started from the South Gate of Ganghwa Fortress and made their way around the market, carefully collecting litter from bushes and street corners. Working in close coordination, one volunteer would reach into dense shrubs to retrieve trash while another received it and placed it into a bag.
Some passersby praised the volunteers for their efforts, and a few even took candy from their bags to share as a gesture of appreciation. By the end of the activity, clothes were rumpled and tightly tied hair had come loose, but the bright smiles on the volunteers’ faces remained unchanged.
Han Seung-hee, chair of the Ganghwa County Council, who visited the site, said, “The weather is cold, and it’s your school break—a time when you could be relaxing—yet you came all the way here to clean. Thank you.” Son Min-jun (15), a member of ASEZ STAR, shared with satisfaction, “If only one or two people had done this, it would have taken forever. But working together, we were able to reduce the trash quickly.”
