Shantytown cleanup by expat volunteers

Volunteers are to visit a Korean shantytown this weekend to clear up trash. Mannam International Volunteers will visit Guryong in southern Seoul to clean up trash in the village and near the river on Saturday.

Expats will fill bags of trash and debris to help prevent pollution from washing into the streams this summer.

Guryong Village is a settlement located Gangnam, in the shadow of luxury skyscrapers in the predominantly affluent and middle-class neighborhood. The community faces dire poverty, with some residents struggling to find the money to survive.

“One of Guryong’s main problems is the pollution built up in the rivers. Most of the garbage from these homes is dumped onto the mountainside and are then washed into the streams during the rainy season, causing flooding of the local streams,” a Mannam spokesperson said.

“This summer, Mannam International Volunteers aims to help prevent this from happening. Please join us in our goal toward a cleaner and less polluted village for the residents of Guryong.”

Those wishing to take part in Saturday’s event can register at http://www.mannamintl.org/guryong-clean-up.html and get more information by calling Michael Owen 010-2126-8802 or Peter Chung 010-3565-7916.

The group will meet at 9:30 a.m. at Dogok Subway Station before taking the bus to the village where they will clean until 1 p.m.

In the case of rain, the cleanup may be postponed until June 30.