Li Hao (first from left) and other international students deliver food to the elderly people in Seoul.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A voluntary bridge

Li enrolled in the University of Jinan in 2014 majoring in English. In his junior year, Li went to study at Pusan National University in South Korea as an exchange student. After a year's study, he transferred to Kyung Hee University to major in business administration for his bachelor's degree.

His first volunteer work in South Korea was to help translate the local subway routes to help Chinese tourists. In October 2017, when Li was volunteering at Seoul Global Center, he noticed that on one hand, college students want to have volunteer opportunities but lack efficient channels to get one, while on the other hand, institutions or organizations find it difficult to recruit volunteers. "I thought I could be the bridge to link both sides," Li says.

He then started a volunteer organization and shared the recruiting information. So far, there are around 500 registered members, most of whom are international students, but there are also South Korean students.

The Dongdaemun international volunteer group was initiated by Li for pandemic prevention. He says that, even though their work finished in March, the group will continue to do more volunteer work in the local community. In November he and his team have another mission-to help distribute food to local elderly people with mobility problems.

In June, he started a third volunteer organization collaborating with Korea University.

Besides his part-time job at Korea International Trade Association and preparation for his postgraduate studies, Li devotes the rest of his time and effort to the volunteer work. His next plan, he says, is to provide online Chinese-language courses to local senior high school students.