ASEZ STAR Environmental Cleanup at Gungpyeong-ri Beach

The World Mission Society Church of God Student Volunteer Group [ASEZ STAR] from South Gyeong Province Chapter members carried out the environmental cleanup as part of the “Student Camp for the Second Half of 2023.” On August 20, more than 800 volunteers, including ASEZ Star members, their families and friends, participated in the environmental cleanup at Gungpyeong-ri Beach in Hwaseong, Gyeongg Province, Korea. Hwaseong City Council Vice Chairman Oh Mun-seop, Councilor Kim Sang-gyun, and Executive Director of Pyeongtaek Youth Foundation Yoo Myung-gyu joined the event to protect the environment with the students. Hwaseong Municipality provided waste bags to the volunteers.

The volunteers, wearing green vests, collected waste from the beach, holding waste bags and tongs. Not only plastic wastes, but also various wastes such as tires, metal pipes, and damaged buoys were washed up along the beach due to the typhoon and heavy rain. They rolled up a large tire that had been thrown away by chanting together, and put their strength to lift a tree that had fallen and move it. With smiles on their faces, they cleaned up 1.3 km [0.8 mi] of the beach and filled 70 bags of 50-liter each for about two hours, despite the scorching heat.

City Councilor Kim Sang-gyun said, “The students’ bright faces and smiles show that they want to be a help to society. I hope that they will grow up as a light that brightens society by continuing to volunteer without losing their good heart.” Executive Director Yoo Myung-gyu cheered ASEZ Star, saying, “Seeing the students’ enthusiasm and bright eyes, I think we can solve social problems and human issues together.”

Student Koo Bon-hoon from Suwon said, “It’s more fun to volunteer with friends in different grades. I think I will be able to set a good example for my friends. It was good to protect the marine ecosystems, and it gave me time to think about the environment again.” Student Aniyah Miller from Pyeongtaek, who attends a middle school in Humphreys Camp of the U.S. Base in Korea, said, “I came here, wanting to help protect the environment. I really enjoy volunteering with many students, and I believe that our efforts will make the earth a better place.”

ASEZ Star’s volunteer activities are based on the biblical education and character building education provided by the Church of God. The Bible contains valuable lessons for cultivating good deeds and character. The students learn the nature of Christians through worship services and Bible study, and they cultivate a good mindset through the character program during vacations, forming upright moral values and putting them into practice. On August 11, ASEZ Star in Homaesil Chapter in Suwon, Korea, held the Character Education as part of Good Student Campaign for 130 students in Suwon to cultivate the sense of community. Cho Myong-ja, the former Mayor of Suwon City Council in her lecture emphasized the sense of community by saying that as individualism deepens, students’ efforts to create a society where people live together become more important.

ASEZ Star’s work encompasses a wide range of activities both in and out of their schools and homes, setting good examples for other students. They focus on the five keywords: Love Parents, Love Friends, Love Neighbors, Love School, and Love Earth.