Mothers bound by 20-year friendship dress Yongsan street trees in hand-knitted warmth

A group of mothers who have stayed close for more than two decades has dressed the street trees in their neighborhood in hand-knitted winter wear. A friendship forged through volunteer work alongside their children has now grown into a new form of giving back to the community.

Yongsan-gu announced it has launched a "tree knitting" exhibition, wrapping more than 50 street trees along Duteopbawi-ro, across from the Namyeong-dong community center, in colorful hand-knitted covers.

The opening ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon in the courtyard of the Namyeong-dong community center, drawing about 30 attendees including Yongsan-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae, members of the knitting group Mujigae Somtam (Rainbow Cotton Stitch) and local residents. The exhibition runs through Jan. 31, 2027.

Mujigae Somtam was formed by parents of children who entered Samgwang Elementary School in 2005. Over the following two decades, members volunteered alongside their children at the Garwol General Social Welfare Center — pinning carnations on seniors for Parents' Day, serving meals to the elderly — and took turns staffing a small community library.

Activity slowed as the children grew up and some families moved away, but the members eventually rallied around a shared desire to contribute to the community again and took up hand-knitting. This year, their project "Moms Knitting Chatter (Emotional Knitting)" was selected for Yongsan-gu's village community grant program, and since June they have been making hand-knitted scrubbers to give away and crafting decorative pieces for the street trees.

The works on display were made using old knitwear that would otherwise have been discarded — breathing new life into unwanted clothing while beautifying the streetscape and underscoring the value of resource recycling.

At the opening ceremony, District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae and Mujigae Somtam representative Seok Eun-hee personally fitted a knitted cover onto a tree in the community center courtyard to mark the start of the exhibition. Members also handed out four-leaf clovers made from "yangmalmok" — fabric scraps left over from sock manufacturing — wishing good luck to students preparing for upcoming exams.

During the exhibition, members plan to monitor the works to ensure they do not harm the trees or obstruct pedestrians, and will remove and clean up the installations themselves once the exhibition ends.

"The mothers who once held their children's hands while volunteering have now gathered again, knitting needles in hand," Seok said. "We hope the pieces we made stitch by stitch, chatting away together, will bring a small sense of warmth to the people passing by."

District Mayor Kim said the hand-knitted works created by residents with long-lasting bonds were brightening the neighborhood and spreading warmth to neighbors. "We will actively support community activities where residents share their talents and nurture the village together," Kim said.