Hanam City Enters "Era of 100,000 Volunteers" for Lunar New Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Hanam City is entering full-scale operations as the "Era of 100,000 Volunteers" this Lunar New Year in 2026.

This represents the (Foundation) Hanam City Volunteer Center (Director Lee Hyun-jae) fully preparing for its operations in conjunction with the Lunar New Year as 100,000 volunteers have become united with citizens transcending from "self" to thinking of "community" through their daily lives and service.

This publication has systematically examined how volunteers have established themselves in the "Era of 100,000 Volunteers," including their process and achievements.

■ The Warmth of the City Proven by Numbers: Opening of the Era of 100,000 Volunteers

Hanam City's volunteer participation indicators have drawn a clear upward trajectory over the past three years, raising the temperature of the city.

Annual volunteer participation rose sharply from 75,719 people in 2023 to 91,737 people in 2024, and finally reached the historic milestone of 108,252 people in 2025.

This is interpreted as a result of the participation base expanding steadily year after year, rather than temporary participation concentrated in the short term.

It amounts to one in every three Hanam City residents stepping into the field of sharing.

Kim Hee-tae, director of the Hanam City Volunteer Center, stated, "2025 was a precious process in which volunteering took root not as the special dedication of a specific few, but as the natural daily life of all citizens. We will inherit the momentum of the 'Era of 100,000 Volunteers' opened through citizens' voluntary participation and strengthen field-centered support to ensure that the warmth of sharing continues throughout the city."

■ From Event-Focused to Participation in Daily Life: A Paradigm Shift

Behind this trend lay a fundamental change in how volunteering is viewed.

In 2025, the Hanam City Volunteer Center focused on bringing volunteering into citizens' daily lives rather than limiting it to specific events or campaigns.

The focus was on creating a structure where people could naturally participate within their existing daily routines, such as weekend morning walks or routine waste separation.

"Miracle Jup Morning," operated as part of green living practice movements, and paper carton collection campaigns are exemplary cases symbolizing this change.

A total of 1,003 people participated in Miracle Jup Morning, and approximately 190 of them returned to the field more than twice.

Despite the high proportion of new participants due to the lifestyle program nature of the activity, repeated participation continued—a noteworthy point.

This is a signal that volunteering, which previously ended after a single experience, is transforming into an activity that is chosen again.

Miracle Jup Morning and Gamil-dong V-DAY activities were operated 15 times with 1,252 participants, and the paper carton collection campaign involved 1,236 people, collecting a total of 2,110 kg of paper cartons.

This demonstrates that volunteering is beginning to establish itself not as a special task requiring separate time, but as a choice that can be practiced in daily life.

■ Capillary-Connected Living-Area Hubs: The Strength of Volunteer Camps

In 2025, the Hanam City Volunteer Center completely transformed its approach to volunteering to be living-area focused through the operation of volunteer camps at the level of administrative divisions.

Approximately 260 camp leaders were stationed at volunteer camps established in 9 administrative divisions, creating a constant operation system.

Through regular meetings and training, camp leaders shared operational directions and carefully managed the field to ensure that volunteer-related guidance and cooperation were stably achieved within living areas.

Under this operation, volunteer guidance and consultation, administrative cooperation, and joint activities continued at the camp level, with diverse on-site responses including promotional activities and member guidance conducted throughout living areas.

As a result, on-site response performance through camps in 2025 was tallied at 57,650 people.

Camp operations transitioned from centrally managed methods to a format where volunteer guidance and administrative cooperation are carried out at the administrative division level.

Volunteer camps and camp leaders faithfully perform their role as on-site hubs connecting administration and citizens.

This is evaluated as a successful case of implementation in the field of Mayor Lee Hyun-jae's policy direction, which he has emphasized: "Volunteering must not remain in specific events or one-off participation but must establish itself as an activity that naturally continues in citizens' daily lives and administrative fields."

■ Education for the Next Generation and a Sustainable Compensation System

2025 was also a year of preparation to pass the continuity of volunteering to the next generation.

Basic and advanced volunteer training programs were operated 54 times with 5,810 participants, supporting enhancement of fundamental competencies.

Volunteer programs targeting youth were also operated substantively.

The "Let's Play Volunteering at School" program involved 2,924 participants, and the Youth Volunteer Summer School involved 174 people.

The Love-Sharing Family Volunteer Group was operated 7 times with 426 participants, accumulating cross-generational participation experience.

The institutional foundation to ensure participation does not end as a single experience was also strengthened.

Through the volunteer mileage system, a total of 95.39 million won in local currency was provided to 1,306 volunteers, establishing a compensation system for individual participation.

Additionally, through an excellent program recruitment project targeting 16 organizations, 44 million won was provided, supporting conditions for local organizations to autonomously plan and operate volunteer activities.

The achievements of the Hanam City Volunteer Center in 2025 do not stop at simply expanding participation.

It was a year of verifying in the field a structure where participation begins in daily life, continues at the administrative division level, and connects again to participation.

Mayor Lee Hyun-jae stated, "Volunteering is no longer merely a good deed of one-time participation but is establishing itself as an activity that can be continuously chosen within citizens' daily lives. Based on this experience and achievement, the center plans to further stabilize the participation structure and expand living-area-centered volunteering."