A newlywed couple in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, has drawn praise for donating 820 kilograms of rice — received in lieu of celebratory wreaths at their wedding — to support struggling neighbors in the district.
Jungnang-gu announced Wednesday that it received 820 kilograms of rice (82 bags of 10 kilograms each) on December 29 from newlyweds Kim Jeong-min and Lee Hyun-min, to be distributed to low-income and vulnerable households in the area. As they prepared for their wedding, the couple asked guests to send rice instead of wreaths to put meaningful sharing into practice. Guests who supported the idea willingly contributed, and a total of 820 kilograms of rice was collected.
"We wanted to make the most special day of our lives even more meaningful, so we decided to prepare a rice donation instead of wreaths," the couple said. "We hope the well wishes of those who congratulated us will become a small source of strength and comfort for neighbors in need in our community."
A district official said, "We thank the newlyweds for practicing warm sharing as they begin a new chapter. The rice we received will be carefully delivered to households that truly need it."
This is not the first case of a couple donating rice received in place of wedding wreaths. In 2017, a newlywed couple in Donghae, Gangwon Province, also pooled rice received instead of celebratory wreaths along with congratulatory cash gifts to donate 100 bags of 10-kilogram white rice to neighbors in need.
Jungnang-gu plans to distribute the donated rice — in cooperation with neighborhood community service centers — to households in welfare blind spots, including families in crisis, seniors living alone, and single-parent families among low-income vulnerable groups.
