“Since the streets became cleaner, more customers have come”

 How three years of small acts of service created a big change

The true strength of a traditional market begins not with modern facilities, but with human warmth and a clean environment. A place where people want to stop, stay, and return again does not appear overnight—it is built through consistent, unseen efforts.

Every Sunday, familiar volunteers quietly appear in the alleys of Gyeongdong and Cheongnyangni Markets in Seoul’s Dongdaemun District. Members of the Shincheonji Volunteer Group’s Dongdaemun Branch have continued weekly street-cleaning activities without missing a single week since 2023.

The effort began with a simple concern from local merchants. Weekend crowds brought increasing waste, leaving streets messy and discouraging customers from staying long. Instead of organizing large-scale events, the volunteers chose the most practical solution: cleaning the streets.

What started as a small initiative soon became a routine. Over three years, more than 1,800 volunteers participated, collecting nearly 8,900 liters of waste. Yet the most meaningful change was not measured in numbers, but in people’s hearts.

One long-time merchant shared,

“Before, the streets were so messy on weekends that customers would quickly leave. Now the market looks clean, and people stay longer.”

Cleaner streets transformed more than the environment. Merchants began greeting visitors with brighter smiles, and customers spent more time exploring the market. Some shop owners even offered drinks to volunteers as a gesture of gratitude.

For young volunteers, the experience has been especially meaningful. One participant said, “It was harder than I expected at first, but hearing merchants thank us gave me energy. I truly felt that I was helping my own community.”

The power of this activity lies in its consistency. Rather than being a one-time event, it has become a form of everyday service embedded in the community. Volunteer efforts have helped fill gaps beyond administrative reach, rebuilding connections within the neighborhood.

After three years, the sweeping of these streets has done more than clean the market floors—it has created relationships where merchants, citizens, and volunteers greet one another with warmth. It proves that small, steady actions can change both a city and the hearts of the people within it.

As long as these quiet acts of service continue, the positive transformation of Gyeongdong and Cheongnyangni Markets will continue as well.