More than 300 Korean university students, who returned home after a year overseas doing volunteer activities in 68 countries, will perform a homecoming concert titled the “Good News Corps Festival.”
The festival is scheduled to be held in 13 major cities in Korea and Japan to share the love and happiness they experienced.
The festival offers a unique experience through musicals, plays, traditional performances and exhibition and experience programs of African and Latin.
The performances began Saturday at Chonbuk National University Cultural Center and are to continue in 13 other cities, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon and Hiroshima and Fukuoka in Japan.
The representative program of the International Youth Fellowship, Good News Corps provides opportunities for young people to see the world and broaden their perspectives abroad.
One volunteer worker who suffered friction in her relationship with her blind mother, Choi Hyeong-jeong, also changed dramatically during her service in Tanzania.
“Through the one-year overseas volunteer activities, I realized what a precious person I was to my mother. In Tanzania, I did mural painting with the other volunteers. As I saw how happy the local students were, I realized I grew up filled with hatred despite the better circumstances. The year I spent in Tanzania was like a shining pearl in my life,” Choi said.
Former Prime Minister Lee Su-seong encouraged the volunteers, saying, “As long as there are poor and lonely people in the world, there cannot be peace. It is the job of the Good News Corps volunteers to bring hope and happiness upon them.”
Lee added, “The homecoming festival of the Good News Corps volunteers is very touching, where those who fell into despair find hope and dreams and reflect on their memories to the fullest.”
An IYF staff member commented, “The Good News Corps Festival is a celebration. It condenses the experiences of college volunteers. Through the performances, students deliver the meaning of volunteer work, and illustrate the happiness they found around the world. The festival taking place this year will bring about changes in the young people of Korea once again.”
Meanwhile, the total number of domestic university students dispatched as Good News Corps volunteers hit 6,091 last year. An additional 301 students were sent to 64 countries this year. The volunteer workers teach Korean language, Korean culture, taekwondo, music, computer proficiency and dance, and host environmental campaigns and bonding activities.
By Ahn Sang-yool (
koolsangon@heraldcorp.com)
