RELIEF FUNDS GIVEN OUT BY SELLING WASTE

[Anchor Lead]

With the Chuseok holidays approaching, a rural village is giving its own COVID-19 relief payments to residents. Surprisingly, the fund was created through selling recyclable waste. Here's more.

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A farming village in Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Ahead of the Chuseok holidays, its head and the chair of a communal women's society are paying a visit to every resident's home.

[Soundbite] "Hello? How are you?"

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries as usual, they give Chuseok gifts to all 40 households. They are each presented with a local gift voucher valued at 100,000 won.

[Soundbite] "Have a nice holiday. (Thank you.)"

To create the fund, the village's representatives saved money by selling recyclable waste, like bottles and plastic materials. The gifts gave great consolation to elderly residents who have to spend the holidays alone, as their children had to cancel visit plans.

[Soundbite] BAE JAE-BUN(VILLAGER) : "The village head and other people take care of me. So I don't feel lonely."

This village raised a fund of about five million won every year to hold festivals or go on autumn trips. This year, it decided to spend the fund to give relief payments to residents amid the prolonged pandemic.

[Soundbite] BAE JEONG-WAN(VILLAGE HEAD) : "We decided in a village meeting to give relief payments of 100,000 won to each household to help elderly people who will spend Chuseok alone, with no family gatherings."

Rural residents will likely experience quite a different and quiet Chuseok this year, as they expect few visitors due to social distancing imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But they don't feel lonely, as the neighbors care and look after one another.