25-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's ‘Warmth Mailbox' delivers handwritten hope in an age of digital loneliness
Every night, 25-year-old student Jeong Seung-won sits at his desk, pen in hand, reading scanned images of handwritten letters posted on a website called Ongi Woopyeonham – Korean for 'Warmth Mailbox'.
The letters come from anonymous strangers: teenagers overwhelmed by school, retirees struggling with loneliness, or others simply seeking someone to listen.
'It's a compilation of people's fears, concerns and deepest regrets,' Jeong said.
But what makes Warmth Mailbox more than just a place to vent is what comes next: each letter receives a two- to three-page handwritten reply from a trained volunteer, like Jeong, offering empathy, reflection and, most of all, connection.
Launched in 2017 by Seoul-based charity Ongi, the Warmth Mailbox project has spread across the country, with more than 80 drop-off points installed in coffee shops, cinemas, parks, hospitals and university campuses.
Jeong Seung-won, a 25-year-old university student, writes a response to a letter submitted through the 'Warmth Mailbox'. Photo: Lee Seung-ku
