Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering in Korea is possible through a number of different organisations:

CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS: Many of the clubs and associations offer opportunities to volunteer in a number of different ways. Click here for a list of associations and clubs.
1. Board and Committee Members: most organisations look for people to sit on committees or to be on their board of directors. Membership in the organisation is required.
2. Community Service: some of the organisations offer opportunities for community service either within the organisation or by providing information on volunteer opportunities outside the organisation. Generally membership in the organisation is required.

ANIMAL SHELTER VOLUNTEERS are needed to play with abandoned pets in shelters. There's a group that goes every weekend to a shelter near Seoul. For more information, see this article. To volunteer to join a weekend group, contact one of the following:  tim.vasudeva@gmail.com,  goesslry@gmail.com,  ansauvage@yahoo.ca. Some local cat shelters also need volunteers. FOSTER HOME FOR DOGS and CATS: You can also help out by fostering a dog or cat until a permanent home can be found for it. 

BEAN is an active networking, volunteering and social group for young professionals in Seoul. BEAN seeks to connect busy people, both Korean and expat, with professional backgrounds through Leadership, Friendship, and Service.  We have regular visits to orphanages to play with children and teach them English, as well as other monthly volunteer and social events. Contact: jurica@gmail.com

Habitat for Humanity in Korea builds home for low income families or families who have lost their home as a result of a natural disaster both in South Korea and abroad. There are apparently Habitat for Humanity affiliates in different parts of the country. You can e-mail Habitat for Humanity Korea at habitat@habitat.or.kr.

ENGLISH TEACHING:
1. HELLO FRIENDS is a community outreach program sponsored by Chosun Daily (a Korean newspaper) and supported by volunteers, mainly from the American Women's Club (AWC). The program runs about twice a year - one time in the fall from October to December and than again from March/April to early June.  Hello Friends volunteers go to schools throughout Korea and introduce English to young schoolchildren. Through Hello Friends, Korean children meet and interact with people from other countries - a first for many of them. It is a long-running program recognized by both the volunteers and the children as an incredibly worthwhile experience. All the costs of Hello Friends trips are covered by the organization. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact the Hello Friends Chair at hf_chair@hotmail.com. Please note that you must be in Korea to be a volunteer with Hello Friends. 

2. H.O.P.E.  (Helping Others Prosper through English) is a new non-profit organization, established and run by Canadian teachers who are looking to make a positive impact on the communities where they live.  Our objective is to provide a safe and accessible place for underprivileged children to develop their English skills and equip them for a brighter future in further education, free of charge.  We are constantly in need of more volunteers as the number of children from low income families and orphanages is overwhelming.  Website:  www.alwayshope.or.kr.  K4E Note: K4E has been informed that teachers who volunteer with H.O.P.E. must have had a Criminal Check, which basically means you must be an E2 visa holder.

3. MUSTARD SEED arranges for volunteers to teach English to underprivileged children from low-income or single parent families. Mustard Seed meets roughly twice a month on Saturdays for three hours in the afternoon near Sindaebang station. To find out more information or to get involved, contact bradcurtin@hotmail.com.

Global Village Volunteers offers opportunities for a number of different volunteer activities through the
Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center such as Visits to Homes of the Elderly, Teaching English at centers for less-fortunate children, Exercise and foold service for the homeless. For more information click on Gloval Village Volunteers (above) or write to itaewon@sba.seoul.kr.

HOUSE OF SHARING - International Outreach Team organises and conducts tours, in English, to the House of Sharing, a home for the survivors of the Japanese military's 'Comfort Women' sexual slavery camps. The tours are held on alternating Saturdays and Sundays once or twice a month. To get involved with the group, you should first come as a visitor to the House during one of the tours. To reserve your space on the tour, e-mail sharinghouse@gmail.com. (K4E has the schedule of House of Sharing tours in What's Going On). After experiencing the tour, you can apply to be a volunteer. Requirements include a long-term commitments, free weekend days once a month, and some background knowledge of the history of the issue. To be a tour guide, Korean is not necessary but is a plus. Translators for the Halmoni's personal testimony are also always helpful. The group is currently in the process of producing materials for a free history curriculum for international use and volunteers interested in research, transcription, and translation work are needed.

MRS - Medical Referral Service is a 24-hour informaiton service staffed by expat volunteers who have a medical background. The MRS team regularly visits medical facilities and provide information on health care options to members of the foreign community. To volunteer, call 010-4769-8212 (this is one of the emergency numbers) during business hours or contact the Seoul Global Center.

KOEM - The Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation is dedicated to managing and improving the marine environment in South Korea through efficient prevention of pollution caused by spilled oil and other pollutants as well as educational activities. They are looking for both Korean and foreign residents to volunteer with them. Each year, the KOEM organises a number of events to mark World Wetlands Day on 2 February. For more information or to volunteer, contact teamo5112@yahoo.co.kr  

PSCORE (People for Successful Corean Reunification) is a non-profit, non-religious, non-partisan NGO in Seoul working for the reunification of the Korean peninsula. PSCORE is comprised of young North Korean defectors who are now attending college in South Korea, Native South Korean college students, and
foreigners who share a common interest and passion for reunification of the Korean peninsula, North Korean human rights issues, and are in favor of North Korean defectors to become self-supporting. For tutoring and other volunteer opportunities, click on Pscore above for a direct link to their website or contact them directly at pscore@pscore.org. More information can also be found here.

PLUR stands for Peace, Love, Unity, & Respect. Members volunteer with local communities, NGO's, and other aid associations throughout the world dealing with social issues such as poverty, street children, sick, elderly, etc. Many of the members are "pretty much young adults that just want to spend our time and talents to help people." The group in Korea volunteers with soup kitchens, orphanages, etc. The contact person is oh_daniel21@hotmail.com.  The group is listed on Facebook as: Volunteer for PLUR!
Volunteers usually meet inside Sookmyung Women's University Station. Blue line #4, stop 427, between exit 1 and the ticket counter on Fridays (usually 6PM and Sundays (usually 7PM).

SEOUL VOLUNTEER CENTER has begun  a program for foreign volunteers (launched August 2009), that allows for partnering with a Korean volunteer where language may be an issue. Activities include helping the elderly with errands or odds-and-ends around the house, visiting orphanages to play with the children and teach English, or organizing environmental cleanups around the city, etc.. The Seoul Volunteer Center has smaller branch offices in each of the 25 administrative districts of the city. When you click on the website, scroll down to the "Foreigners' box and fill out the volunteer application form.

UNESCO Cross Cultural Awareness Program (CCAP) offers foreign residents the opportunity to share their culture with Korean youths. They are typically asked to visit schools and present their own culture to the Korean students in collaboration with a Korean volunteer. Anyone, regardless of age, sex, religion or country of origin, can participate in the programme. Tel:  (02) 755-4623, Email: ccap@unesco.or.kr,  

WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS KOREA helps connect volunteers to various women's organisations in Korea - teaching English, editing, etc. Volunteers should speak English and if possible a little Korean. Tagalog speakers are also needed. The group organises the Wild Women Performing Arts Festival, which is held twice a year, to raise funds for Korean Women's Associations United. For information, contact angelahime@hotmail.com or angela.firefly@gmail.com.


K4E Note: If you know of other volunteering options in Seoul and elsewhere in Korea, please let us know through info@korea4expats.com

See also Advocacy Groups