Volunteers earn hours for future care as Seoul district pioneers exchange model

Seodaemun District in western Seoul is preparing to launch a time-bank program that lets residents earn credits by volunteering and redeem them for help from neighbors. The district is the first municipality in Korea to institutionalize the mutual-exchange model within its administration. Workshops and coordinator training are underway, with a 30-resident pilot planned for 2027 and expansion across sub-districts planned for 2028 through 2029.

Each hour of assistance earns one hour of time currency, which residents can later use to request support.

The district partnered with TimeBank Korea to develop standardized operating manuals and credit-tracking protocols.

The eight-week training program runs through Dec. 1 and covers time-banking principles, domestic and international examples, and training community coordinators.

The district aims to fully establish its integrated time-sharing community system by 2030.

The program is intended to support tasks including welfare check-ins, errands, tutoring, and digital literacy training.

Published Oct 25, 2026 7:00 am KST

New 'time bank' concept lets Seodaemun District residents trade volunteer hours for everyday help

Time-bank volunteer training takes place over eight sessions at the Seodaemun District Office. Courtesy of Seodaemun District Office

In the neighborhoods of western Seoul, an hour spent helping an elderly neighbor navigate a smartphone touchscreen could soon buy a ride to a hospital appointment or a helping hand with daily chores down the road.

Seodaemun District is preparing to launch a local "time bank" system, allowing residents to earn time credits by volunteering and redeem them later for help from their neighbors. The ambitious initiative aims to transform the traditionally one-way dynamic of municipal welfare into a reciprocal, community-driven safety net.

Under the framework, every hour a resident spends assisting someone in the community earns one hour of "time currency." Unlike traditional volunteer programs that draw a strict line between givers and receivers, the time bank operates on absolute equality: anyone can offer a skill they have and request support when they run into daily hurdles.

The program comes as urban districts across Korea grapple with declining volunteer participation, an aging population and a sharp rise in single-person households. By creating a formalized neighborhood network for micro-tasks — such as welfare check-ins, errand assistance, tutoring and digital literacy training — Seodaemun District hopes to address everyday care needs that traditional public welfare systems struggle to reach.

While time-banking networks have taken root in cities like Barcelona, Los Angeles and London to combat social isolation and foster urban trust, Seodaemun District’s approach marks a distinct evolutionary leap.

College student volunteer Noh Hee-jin teaches English to an eighth-grader at Seoyeon Middle School in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun District, western Seoul. Noh, who pursued her dream with the help of financial sponsorship, now gives back by participating in educational volunteer work. Hankook Ilbo

Rather than operating as an informal, third-sector barter network, Seodaemun is the first municipality in Korea to institutionalize the mutual-exchange model directly within district-level administration. By integrating the program into existing public welfare hubs and training local coordinators, the district is building a permanent, government-backed framework where residents rotate seamlessly between volunteers and beneficiaries.

To lay the groundwork, Seodaemun District signed a strategic partnership with TimeBank Korea, a nonprofit association that advocates and establishes time-currency networks across the country, to establish standardized operational manuals and credit tracking protocols. Resident workshops began this month at the local volunteer center, with the eight-week training program, running through Dec. 1, covering time-banking principles, domestic and international case studies, and the training of community coordinators who will match local needs with available talents.

A pilot group of 30 trained residents will test the system in 2027. Following the pilot, district authorities said they plan to expand the network across administrative sub-districts from 2028 through 2029, integrating local welfare centers, senior complexes and volunteer camps. The district aims to fully establish its integrated time-sharing community system by 2030.

"Volunteering is not just about helping someone in need. It is about building relationships where neighbors can lean on one another during hard times," Seodaemun District chief Park Woon-ki. "We will connect residents’ time and talents so that everyone can be both a giver and a receiver of care."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

首尔西部的西大门区正准备推出一项时间银行计划，居民可以通过志愿服务赚取积分，并用积分兑换邻居的帮助。该区是韩国首个将这种互助模式制度化纳入行政管理的区。目前，相关研讨会和协调员培训正在进行中，计划于2027年启动一个由30名居民参与的试点项目，并于2028年至2029年将该计划推广至其他区。

每提供一小时的帮助，即可获得一小时的时间货币，居民之后可以用这些时间货币来请求帮助。

该地区与韩国时间银行合作，制定了标准化的操作手册和信用跟踪协议。

为期八周的培训计划将持续到 12 月 1 日，内容涵盖时间银行原则、国内外案例以及社区协调员培训。

该地区的目标是到 2030 年全面建立其综合分时社区系统。

该计划旨在支持包括福利检查、跑腿、辅导和数字素养培训在内的各项任务。

发布于2026年10月25日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

西大门区居民可通过“时间银行”新概念，用志愿服务时间换取日常帮助。

时间银行志愿者培训在西大门区政府进行，共八次。图片由西大门区政府提供。

在首尔西部的一些社区，花一个小时帮助一位年长的邻居使用智能手机触摸屏，或许就能换来一次去医院的车程，或者在日后帮他做些日常家务。

西大门区正准备推出本地“时间银行”系统，居民可以通过志愿服务赚取时间积分，并在需要时兑换邻里互助。这项雄心勃勃的计划旨在将传统的单向市政福利模式转变为互惠互利、社区驱动的安全网。

根据这一机制，居民每花一小时帮助社区居民，就能获得一小时的“时间货币”。与传统志愿者项目严格区分付出者和接受者不同，时间银行秉持绝对平等的原则：任何人都可以贡献自己的技能，并在遇到日常困难时寻求帮助。

韩国各地城市地区正面临志愿者参与度下降、人口老龄化和单身家庭数量激增等问题，而西大门区推出的这项计划正值此时。西大门区希望通过建立一个正式的社区服务网络，提供诸如福利探访、跑腿协助、辅导和数字素养培训等微型服务，来满足传统公共福利体系难以覆盖的日常照护需求。

虽然时间银行网络已经在巴塞罗那、洛杉矶和伦敦等城市扎根，以对抗社会孤立和促进城市信任，但西大门区的做法标志着一次明显的进化飞跃。

大学生志愿者卢熙珍（音译）在首尔西部西大门区延熙洞西渊中学为一名八年级学生教授英语。卢熙珍曾凭借经济资助追逐梦想，如今她通过参与教育志愿服务回馈社会。（韩国日报）

西大门区并非以非正式的第三方易货网络形式运作，而是韩国首个将互助交换模式直接纳入区级行政管理体系的市町村。通过将该项目整合到现有的公共福利中心并培训当地协调员，西大门区正在构建一个由政府支持的永久性框架，使居民能够在志愿者和受益者之间无缝轮换。

为了奠定基础，西大门区与韩国时间银行（TimeBank Korea）签署了战略合作协议。韩国时间银行是一家非营利组织，致力于在全国范围内倡导和建立时间货币网络。双方将共同制定标准化的操作手册和信用追踪协议。本月，在当地志愿者中心启动了居民培训课程。为期八周的培训项目将持续到12月1日，内容涵盖时间银行的原则、国内外案例研究，以及社区协调员的培训，以便将当地需求与现有人才进行匹配。

2027年，将有30名受过培训的居民组成试点小组测试该系统。试点结束后，区政府表示计划从2028年到2029年将该网络推广至各行政区，整合当地福利中心、长者社区和志愿者营地。该区的目标是到2030年全面建成一体化的共享时间社区系统。

“志愿服务不仅仅是帮助有需要的人，更重要的是建立邻里关系，让邻里在困难时期能够互相扶持，”西大门区区长朴云基表示，“我们将整合居民的时间和才能，让每个人都能既是付出者，也是接受者。”

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。