The Seoul Seongdong District offers a monthly “Mobile Knife-Sharpening and Umbrella Repair Service” at various community centers, providing a much-needed solution for residents troubled by the lack of repair options for their dull knives and broken umbrellas. (Image provided by The Seoul Seongdong District Office)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) –In an era where it’s often easier to buy new than repair, a unique service in Seongdong District, Seoul, is proving the old adage wrong.
On the morning of February 7, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, several seniors arrived at the Geumho 2·3-dong Community Center, each carrying bundles of newspapers. Wrapped inside were dull kitchen knives and rusty scissors, awaiting a new lease on life.
Kim Kyung-min, a 72-year-old resident of Geumho-dong, expressed her anticipation for this day, “I’ve been waiting for a month for this service. I rushed here without even drying my hair, just to drop off my knives before heading to work.”
The Seoul Seongdong District offers a monthly “Mobile Knife-Sharpening and Umbrella Repair Service” at various community centers, providing a much-needed solution for residents troubled by the lack of repair options for their dull knives and broken umbrellas.
Since its inception in 2018, the service has become a hallmark of the district’s community-oriented services, gaining popularity through word-of-mouth among the locals.
According to a district official, the service typically concludes at 4:30 p.m., but demand surges around holidays, the kimchi-making season, and summer, often leading to early closure of registrations in the morning.
Shin Jung-ae, 71, brought three kitchen knives to the center, expressing the service’s significance, “As I get older, using a dull knife strains my wrist. This service is a tremendous help, more satisfying than any other welfare service.”
Kim Yoon-ja, 60, who came to sharpen her kitchen knives and scissors, shared her gratitude, “The quality of sharpening here is incomparable to doing it at home. I’m truly thankful to the workers here.”
The Seoul Seongdong District offers a monthly “Mobile Knife-Sharpening and Umbrella Repair Service” at various community centers, providing a much-needed solution for residents troubled by the lack of repair options for their dull knives and broken umbrellas. (Image provided by The Seoul Seongdong District Office)
While two workers busily sharpened blades using grinders and charcoal, the workshop’s lead, Choi Dong-il, 55, was engrossed in fixing an umbrella. Choi shared, “When the umbrella repair service first started, I was overwhelmed learning how they worked by disassembling over five umbrellas a day. Now, there’s hardly an umbrella or parasol I can’t fix.”
The gratitude from residents is evident, with comments like, “It would take at least a month if left at a store, but here, it’s fixed in just a day.”
Last year, the service attracted an average of 40 visitors daily, repairing around 26,500 knives and umbrellas. Seongdong District Mayor Jung Won-o reflected on the service’s journey, “The Mobile Knife-Sharpening and Umbrella Repair Service has evolved into a signature community service of Seongdong District after overcoming initial challenges. We will continue to explore and operate services closely related to the daily lives of our residents.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
