It’s time to celebrate what South of Seoul volunteers accomplished in 2022! The following list includes some of our most significant projects and major highlights. Of course, far more has happened, but we don’t have room for it, so let’s go!
2022 Was a Year of Rapid Growth
For South of Seoul volunteers, 2022 often felt like a rocket ship. Growth occurred across all aspects of the volunteer organization. However, the highest increase occurred on our South of Seoul blog, where readership skyrocketed thanks to epic amounts of created content and a diligent focus on SEO.
215 Blog Articles Posted in 2022
In 2022, South of Seoul volunteers posted over 215 different articles. That‘s more volunteer-published articles than any other year. Additionally, that’s an average of 4 new blog articles each week. To put it into perspective, 35% of ALL South of Seoul blogs were published in 2022. In past years, we published between 35-75 posts a year.
Can we keep up this level of posting in 2023? Honestly, we have no idea. However, if you want to volunteer to write for South of Seoul, please message us and let us know! We are always looking for new ways of capturing more information for future arrivals in South Korea.
30% of All Articles Hit a 1st Place Google Ranking
- Initiative Leader: Courtney Marshall
South of Seoul volunteers put a massive effort into updating our SEO across the South of Seoul blog, which paid off. The attention to SEO significantly impacted our blog articles’ Google ranking and performance. In fact, each month, more and more South of Seoul information continues to outrank corporate-produced content. This was a huge highlight since we started the year with almost no first-place ranking articles at the beginning of 2022.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) matters to South of Seoul because it doesn’t matter how many articles our volunteers carefully craft if no one can find them. We consider attention to SEO as part of how we respect our volunteers’ time and efforts to write detailed and essential articles for the community. Additionally, great SEO supports the broader community because it means we can all find what we need when we need it.
159% Increase in Blog Readers
- Initiative Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
Since South of Seoul content focuses on English-speaking residents living outside of Seoul, we never expected to have a considerable following. In fact, we used to feel like superheroes when 30,000 people read our information in a whole year. Over 30,000 people can visit the South of Seoul blog in just a month!
It’s hard to imagine that we will replicate this kind of growth in 2023, but the possibility does exist. South of Seoul readership grew between 100-200% every year for 7 years. If our volunteers continue to share information that matters to our community, we may stay on trend in 2023.
New South of Seoul Team
To keep South of Seoul running smoothly, our volunteer organization consists of different programs and teams. Each year we add a new program or team to the mix. In 2022, South of Seoul organizational leader, Lanae Rivers-Woods, needed help managing the online communities and her other duties. South of Seoul groups need community leaders who could provide communities with better attention to detail and relationship building. Thus, the Online Community Development Team was formed.
Online Community Development Team
- Team Manager: Melissa Whittington of KimchiRednecks
- Team Supervisor: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
Melissa Whittington took over primary moderation duties from Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT, for South of Seoul groups in 2022 and brought on Tara Popp, MA. Ed to help support the 20,000 + community members spread over various community groups such as Pyeongtaek Food & Fun and Pyeongtaek Travelers.
To support community development, both volunteers manage Facebook communities, create content based on community needs, and host events based on community requests. Tara took a leadership role by finding new ways of supporting new arrivals, such as Social Shopping outings and Cafe Crawls. Melissa leaned into creating content and supporting other authors by editing content and assisting with SEO.
In short, the Online Community Development Team founded in 2022 quickly became the backbone of South of Seoul’s community development initiatives. We could not be more impressed with Melissa Whittington and Tara Popp’s commitment to working with the public both on and offline.
Lifestyle Initiatives
Each year South of Seoul sets SOS Internal Initiatives that guide the content we create. Volunteers set such initiatives based on community feedback and questions in our many Facebook groups, social issues, federal or local government requests, or personal interests. In 2022, the SOS Lifestyle Initiatives pushed our content creation to new heights and helped us accomplish our organizational goals. Such initiatives included:
Family Fun and Travel
- Initiative Leader: LeaDan Yee, M.Ed
South of Seoul volunteer LeaDan Yee covered extensive information for families. Her commitment and effort to her initiative left us humbled and amazed. LeaDan spent hundreds of hours researching, documenting, and writing about important things families need to know while living in South Korea.
South of Seoul could undoubtedly use more family bloggers to support LeaDan’s amazing initiative and carry it forward as she transitions back to her home country in 2023.
Read 3 samples of the content created for the Family and Travel initiative below:
Increase Awareness of Things To Do Near Pyeongtaek
- Initiative Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
- Initiative Key Contributors: LeaDan Yee, M.Ed
English-speaking internet searches offer a limited amount of accurate and detailed information regarding things to do in Pyoengtaek and surrounding areas. In 2022, South of Seoul volunteers committed to solving this issue in detail.
Read some content created for the Things to Do in Pyeongtaek initiative below:
Expand Travel Related Information
- Initiative Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
- Initiative Key Contributors: LeaDan Yee, M.Ed, Chad Card, Brian Rich, Molly Hayden, and Courtney Marshall
In 2022 South of Seoul volunteers compiled 52 travel itineraries, equating to one trip per weekend for an entire year! This was one of our most ambitious initiatives! In 2023, we plan to expand this initiative into niche categories surrounding topics like craft beer, hiking, festivals, and more.
Read 3 samples of the content created for the Travel Content Initiative below:
Organize a Localized Korean Cooking Curriculum
- Initiative Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
- Initiative Partners: Kimchi Rednecks
South of Seoul partnered with KimchiRednecks to create an entire year’s curriculum for learning foundational Korean dishes. The curriculum includes information regarding what to buy for your pantry, places to shop, differences between US and Korean kitchens, and monthly recipes to try. The “A Year to Learn Korean Cooking” may be our best developed initiative of all time.
Read 3 samples of the content created for the Korean Cooking initiative below:
Community Building & Cultural Exchange
- Initiative Leader: Katie Howell
Katie was one of the first volunteers South of Seoul ever had. In fact, she helped found the volunteer group to support the initiatives. When she moved back to South Korea in 2022, she took charge of the South of Seoul Language and Culture Exchange. She not only revived the group that had fallen silent during the pandemic, but she also expanded the group extensively. It’s now the most active language exchange organization in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
You can join the group by clicking the image below:
Community Contributor Appreciation
- Initiative Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
- Initiative Key Contributors: Melissa Whittington
To support the non-volunteer community contributors in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook Group managed by South of Seoul, the Food & Fun Fab 4 launched. The program recognizes 4 top contributors each month. The winners can collect awards from contributing businesses over the month following their win! In addition, the beta program may inform how South of Seoul evolves groups in the future.
We want to thank Little Greece, Sous Vide Chicken Pub, and Cosmic Cat for being the first supporters of the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun group Fab 4 Program.
Public Health Initiatives
Maternal Health
- Initiative Leader: Denise Feurer, MSc PH
- Initiative Supervisor: Lisa Peck, MPH, CPH
Denise Feurer, MSc PH, designed and implemented the first-ever Maternal Health Survey for SOS Public Health while completing her Master’s in Public Health. Results surrounding demographics and population information can be found at SOS Public Health’s 2022 Maternal Health Survey: Demographics
Read a piece of content created for the Maternal Health Initiative below:
Graduate Practicum Program
- Initiative Leader: Lisa Peck, MPH, CPH
- Initiative Supervisor: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
In 2022 Lisa Peck, MPH, CPH took leadership of the South of Seoul Public Health Internship and Practicum Program founded in 2021 by Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT. The program expanded past the University of Utah Asia Campus to include students from the University of Utah (main campus) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Public Health Needs Assessment
- Project Leader: Olivia Bowman, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Practicum Supervisor: Lisa Peck, MPH, CPH
Olivia Bowman completed the 2022 SOS Public Health Needs Assessment of International Residents in Korea for the SOS Public Health Program, building on the knowledge and research compiled through the SOS Public Health Survey conducted in 2021.
Read a piece of content created for the Public Health Assessment below:
Dental Health
- Project Leader: Zahra Alsafi, University of Utah Asia Campus
- Practicum Supervisor: Lisa Peck, MPH, CPH
Zahra Alsafi completed a three-part dental health project for her SOS Public Health practicum. First, Ms. Alsafi disseminated information on how to navigate dental health in Korea. Second, Ms. Alsafi visited a local international English academy, Dana SI, to educate school-aged children about dental hygiene practices. Finally, Ms. Alsafi created educational dental health care kits to distribute to international and local families living in Korea.
As part of her dental health care kits, Ms. Alsafi designed and printed 300 zines (what is a zine?) that educate parents and children about dental hygiene. Ms. Alsafi had the opportunity to present her zines at a conference in Tokyo in November 2022.
Read a piece of the content created for the Dental Health Initiative below:
Mental Health
- Project Leader: Colton Johnson, University of Utah
- Practicum Supervisor: Lisa Peck, MPH, CPH
Colton Johnson conducted a Mental Health Access Survey on Incheon Global Campus. Mr. Johnson then analyzed the results and compiled information to better support the access needs of students, faculty, and staff Awareness of Mental Health Resources on and off Incheon Global Campus Sample of Initial Findings and Links to Resources.
Read a piece of the content created for the Mental Health Initiative below:
Special Projects
Of course, South of Seoul volunteers do more than just create blogs. We also complete special projects. Such special projects usually entail intense research, organization, and design time. We dive deep into a particular subject matter and try to remove significant barriers to access. As a result, we want to produce a product that takes all the hard things and makes life seem simple.
Here are two examples of this for 2022 that we feel very proud of. Activities that may have felt daunting before now seem simplified and obvious. Additionally, such special projects usually occur in an act of community and partnership with other volunteer organizations.
National Parks Hiking Plan
Project Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
- Project Partners: Camp Humphreys Hike and Bike
To support the fantastic work the Camp Humphreys Hike and Bike group did to promote the National Parks of Korea, South of Seoul created a plan to see all parks in one year! The blog makes an easy way to plan the park trips slowly so that you can easily accomplish your goal. This project builds on the National Parks Adventure Map created by South of Seoul in 2021.
Read a piece of the content created for the National Parks Project below:
Craft Beer Adventure Map
Project Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
Project Partners: Osan Craft Beer Club and Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society
In 2022, we added to our Adventure Map series the Craft Beer Adventure Map, which lists the top craft beer and brewer locations in South Korea. We try to add 1-2 new Adventure Maps to our plethora of information each year to help people celebrate their adventure times in South Korea.
Read a piece of the content created for the Craft Beer Map Project below:
7th Annual Best of Pyeongtaek Poll
- Project Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
South of Seoul volunteers pulled off another amazing Best of Pyeongtaek Polling season with over 730 ballets over 2 weeks.
Pyeongtaek Citizen Times Articles
- Project Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
Ms. Rivers-Woods completed her fourth year contributing articles to the Pyeongtaek Citizen Times. Such articles provide cultural insight into the internal community in Pyeongtaek. Articles post monthly and cover a wide variety of topics.
Community Events
In 2022, South of Seoul volunteers returned to hosting and sponsoring community events. We both planned our own events and worked with other organizations to sponsor and support their events.
Shopping Socials with Tara
- Event Planner: Tara Popp, MA. Ed
Tara Popp, MA. Ed planned South of Seoul’s first post-pandemic events, the Shopping Socials. Ms. Popp started a program to provide in-person support for anyone who needs help getting to know local shopping. She now offers Shopping Socials regularly throughout the year. They can be found on the South of Seoul Community Calendar.
Gimjang with Sue 2022
- Event Leader: Sue Kim
- Event Sponsor Support: Lanae Rivers-Woods and Lisa Peck
South of Seoul volunteers pulled off the first international Pyeongtaek residents’ Kimjang. We partnered with a talented Korean cook and kimchi maker to create an incredible two-day experience. South of Seoul plans to host another Kimjang in November of 2023.
Read a piece of the content created for the Kimjang Project below:
Craft Beer Club Pop-Up Event
- Lead Organizations: Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society
- Support Organization: Osan Craft Beer Club
- Sponsor Support: South of Seoul
South of Seoul felt honored to support the SOLD OUT pop-up planned by the Pyeongtaek Craft Beer Society with the help of the Osan Craft Beer Club. Our volunteers helped with promotion, photography, and event setup. We had a blast and LOVE working with these groups to help support the Craft Beer community.
Read a piece of the content created for the Craft Beer Pop-up Project below:
South of Seoul Community Calendar
- Initiative Leader: Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAIT
Toward the end of 2022, South of Seoul officially brought back the community calendar. A place to explore what’s happening in Pyeongtaek and beyond. Anyone can add their events to the South of Seoul calendar to make them available to the South of Seoul Community quickly and easily.
See the South of Seoul Community Calendar below:
Looking Forward to 2023
After completing a successful year, South of Seoul volunteers look forward to an eventful 2023. If you want to join our volunteer team, we always look for motivated and curious volunteers to help make the magic happen! Emails us at blog@southofseoul.net to learn more!
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
