My Story: Jungsoo Jung

My name is Jungsoo Jung and I am from the Goodwill Processing Center in South Korea. At the Processing Center, I go out on the road. I take care of loose seams, steam clothes, tag clothes and sometimes even deliver them.

Compared to working at Goodwill now, working at my previous place of employment was very frustrating. This is because there were not as many people with disabilities there. There was a fellow co-worker who both worked and went to school with me and he made my life very difficult.

I learned about Goodwill through the church young adult group and my mother asked me if I would be interested in volunteering there, so I did. At Goodwill, they take donated household items, sort them, process and then sell them. Through this business, Goodwill connects people with job opportunities throughout the country.

My current boss treats me very well. At this place, we are able to eat well, and everything is very delicious. Since we go all over Seoul to collect donated goods, I feel like we have wandered all over the country. I love that I can go out to other places.

At Goodwill, I have also learned how to operate the truck lift. I have learned how to greet customers, how to sort items as well as how to work safely.  I have also learned how to treat the donated goods preciously. I am thankful that when our donors give us their donated items, they are very polite and nice to us. When I go to pick up donated items, I always smile and thank them for their generosity.

I am grateful to be able to work at Goodwill, and I believe I can do my job well. I am becoming more and more used to my work now, and I hope to be able to do my job even better. I am going to work hard, and I am going to get a raise.

I am going to buy birthday presents for my mom, dad and younger sibling, and I am also going to buy a gift for my parents’ wedding anniversary. If I start dating, I am going to buy all of the things she likes to eat and share them with her.

I want to save my money and buy a house, too. And if reunification happens, I want to take time off and go on a vacation to the hot springs in North Korea. I want to take a vacation to the United States but I don’t speak English so I’ll need a guide. I thank God that I can work at Goodwill.

Hear more stories from people like Jungsoo.

Learn more about Goodwill’s international efforts to create job opportunities for people with disabilities.

한국어