New Way of Donating, Mirinae
New Way of Donating, Mirinae
  • 성주희
  • 승인 2014.10.13 19:44
  • 댓글 0
이 기사를 공유합니다

Mirinae is a Korean-based word which means a galaxy formed by many stars. It also means paying in advance to donate, or to “pay it forward.” Mirinae movement is to form a culture that gives an opportunity to share things with neighbors like the old Korean tradition. When it comes to Mirinae, distribution of the donations is done by owners of small businesses. It is because the Mirinae movement has a purpose to make the local sharing community through Mirinae shops.

Mirinae Movement
Mirinae Movement originated from the idea that if opportunities arise, then people will easily help their neighbors. This movement is a campaign which resurrects Korean traditional culture such as communal sharing of labor in this modern society when individualism is widespread. There are about 250 Mirinae shops all over the country. Mirinae voucher system is a representative way of receiving the donations. If someone charges for food in advance, anybody who wants can satisfy their hunger with the voucher. Another way to donate is to use the Mirinae mobile application. This application is continuously developing. The Mirinae Movement is promoted through SNS. Any owners of shops can apply for their shops to become a Mirinae shop. There is no special standard to operate the shop. However, Mirinae takes a role as a donation organization; owners have to manage the shops transparently. Also they should stay in the shops all day, because confidence of customers is the important element of Mirinae movement. Therefore, it depends on the decision of the owners for them to be able to want to run the Mirinae shops. The owners of Mirinae shops communicate with the organization headquarters. Also anyone can communicate with headquarters or shop owners about Mirinae through SNS. → The Observer visited the first Mirinae shop in Daegu, Mr. Park’s bakery, which is located in Daegok subway station.

Interview with the owner of Mr. Park’s Bakery
Q1) How did you find out about The Mirinae Movement?
A1) My friend who has been managing a Mirinae shop recommended it. Then, I got more information about it and I started to run it.


Q2) What made you decide operate the Mirinae shop?
A2) I used to volunteer to make cakes before starting the bakery. There is not enough time to volunteer while running it, so I thought I can help others by running the Mirinae shop. Therefore, I started it on June, 2013.

Q3) How much bread is usually donated in one day? And who receives that bread?
A3) Actually, there are very few people who know The Mirinae Movement. Therefore, if someone contributes a loaf of bread, there aren’t many people who come to use the voucher. Therefore, I deliver it to the poor directly. Despite its good intensions, very few people know about Mirinae, so I do volunteer work, promote it using SNS, and give the neighbors the bread. As I am the first owner of a Mirinae shop in Daegu, I know about the Mirinae Movement well. Therefore, I manage all five Mirinae shops in Daegu.


Q4) What goal do you want the Mirinae Movement to achieve?
A4) As I said before, there is a lack in promoting the Mirinae Movement. Mirinae is spreading in the capital region, but it is not like Daegu. This is why I promote this movement, volunteer, and donate bread directly. If people recognize that I do good things, they can follow what I do. My bakery is reported on a newspaper and aired on TV. Although the interest in Mirinae movement increased after that, the interest withered away. I hope many people are more interested about this and will continue to share.

Mirinae is a new way of donating that was started by using ideals from the old times; sharing that particular feeling of affection and caring about someone. This is a time when Mirinae is still in its infancy, so it may be unfamiliar to people. I hope everyone can share things with neighbors so they can get help. If we are concerned about our neighbors more than now, our society will be more beautiful like the galaxy formed by many stars.


댓글삭제
삭제한 댓글은 다시 복구할 수 없습니다.
그래도 삭제하시겠습니까?
댓글 0
댓글쓰기
계정을 선택하시면 로그인·계정인증을 통해
댓글을 남기실 수 있습니다.