The city of Taebaek, once a booming coal mine area. (Yonhap)
TAEBAEK, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Last Wednesday, a woman in her 40s visited a community center in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, leaving behind a large contribution for those in need.
The woman remained anonymous, giving away 3 million won (US$2,700).
Last December, another anonymous donor gave 100 kilograms of rice cakes to those in need.
Taebaek is a former coal mining town struggling with a plunging population as well as economic struggles in the post-coal era.
However, the city’s culture of sharing and giving, which took root when the coal industry was at its peak, is still around to be witnessed.
Taebaek’s Samsu-dong is the area that was at the heart of the local economy until the 2000s. It is also a center of agriculture.
‘Daddy-Long-Legs,’ an anonymous donor famous in Taebaek for visiting the community center every winter to make a donation, is also a Samsu-dong resident.
Last December, he too visited the center to donate 1 million won.
Anonymous donors, merchants, churches, and civil groups continue to visit Samsu-dong to make generous contributions.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
