Ulsan education office staff hold flea market, donate proceeds as scholarships

Staff at Ulsan's Gangbuk District Office of Education have drawn attention for holding a sharing market where they sold unused personal items and donated the proceeds as scholarships for local students.

The office held a two-day flea market — dubbed the "Wageuljwageul Integrity Sharing Market" — at its multipurpose hall Tuesday and Wednesday, with all staff taking part. The event was organized to promote resource recycling and climate action through secondhand goods trading, while channeling the proceeds into student scholarships as part of an effort to spread a culture of integrity and giving.

Superintendent Han Seong-gi personally led an integrity lecture for all staff on Sept. 1, explaining the civil servant code of conduct and emphasizing the need to restore public trust in education through clean administration.

The market ran from noon to 2 p.m. during the lunch break each day. Staff brought in about 350 items — including home appliances, clothing and bags — and sold 175 of them over the two days, generating 1.06 million won ($782) in total sales.

Of that amount, 800,000 won will go toward student scholarships. The Gangbuk District Office of Education plans to select recipients and distribute the funds this month.

"Small acts of sharing unused belongings have come together to create scholarships for students in our community," Han said. "We will continue building a trustworthy education administration through various integrity initiatives."