FKI Chief Serves Meals in Seoul's Jjokbang District Ahead of Chuseok

Ryu Jin, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), visited a jjokbang district — a neighborhood of tiny single-room dwellings — in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo area ahead of the Chuseok holiday to serve meals and deliver boxed lunches in person.

The FKI said on the 15th that Ryu and about 20 executives and staff members visited Thomas House, a free meal center in Yeongdeungpo District, that day to volunteer serving food.

Ryu handed out meals to people using the center and visited homes near the jjokbang district where residents have difficulty walking to the center, delivering boxed lunches. FKI executives and staff also joined in serving meals and delivering lunches, supporting vulnerable groups in the area ahead of the holiday.

Thomas House, which opened in 1993, is a free meal center that provides lunch to about 350 people a day, including older adults living alone and homeless people in the Yeongdeungpo jjokbang district. The FKI has visited the center every holiday season for three years running since 2024.

Corporate sponsorship was added to this year's effort. Sangmidang Holdings donated 1,000 loaves of bread, joining the initiative for a second consecutive year.

The FKI is also supporting small business owners in the area for Chuseok. It plans to buy food supplies at Yeongdeungpo's Uri Market and deliver them to free meal facilities for homeless people in Seoul, including Thomas House, the Seoul Restart Center and the Gwangya Homeless Center.

"It is meaningful to be able to bring at least a small measure of warmth to struggling neighbors ahead of the holiday," an FKI official said. "We will continue volunteer activities in which our executives and staff take part directly, along with the support our local communities need."