How have you been feeling lately?

Does this question itself feel awkward to you? ☺ While we live with ever-changing emotions, we often fail to recognize our own feelings, deliberately avoid them, or find ourselves too caught up in daily life to contemplate why we feel a certain way. Just as physical health is crucial, so too is emotional well-being.

At Amorepacific, where we pursue ‘beauty and wellness,’ we wanted to create an exhibition fostering dialogue about ‘emotional well-being’—an integral component of our mission. Let me share with you how the “Empathy Post Office” exhibition came to life.

The exhibition originated from “Everyone’s Complete Dedication,” a mentoring program organized by the Amorepacific Empathy Foundation. I volunteered as a mentor, hoping to share my professional experience as a form of giving back. Five university students were assigned to me as mentees, and for the first time, I felt the weight of responsibility to provide them with meaningful experiences and tangible outcomes during our time together. The students named themselves “Team Storyteller,” as they would be sharing stories through exhibitions at Story A. I was pleasantly surprised by how fitting this name was, especially since it came about organically.

Settling on the exhibition theme took longer than expected. Initially, we explored the possibility of showcasing specific brands or Amorepacific’s assets. Through numerous brainstorming sessions and meetings, we reached two key decisions: first, to approach the planning process realistically, as if we were going to execute it, even if implementation wasn’t guaranteed, and second, to create an exhibition aligned with the Empathy Foundation’s themes, given that our activities were part of their mentoring program. Moreover, ‘empathy’ was a universal topic that the students and I could discuss meaningfully, transcending our differences in age and circumstances.

What is ‘empathy,’ really?

Some might view it simply as agreeing with someone by saying, “Yes, you’re right,” while others might wonder, “Does mere agreement actually change anything?” Yet research suggests that having someone truly listen to and understand our emotions precisely as they are can be inherently therapeutic. You might have experienced this yourself—even when conversations with friends don’t yield solutions to problems, the mere act of sharing often provides emotional relief.

When we decided to create an exhibition centered on empathy and emotional well-being, our primary concern was how to approach the subject matter without professional psychological expertise. We knew we couldn’t offer professional diagnosis or care programs, so we decided the exhibition should maintain a lighter touch.

Before diving into the planning process, we contemplated what kind of experience we wanted to create for visitors and what purpose the exhibition should serve. We designed the exhibition with several aspirations in mind: to help visitors personally experience the meaning of ‘empathy,’ to provide a space where they could find understanding and comfort, to create opportunities for meaningful emotional exchanges between friends, couples, and family members, and to offer moments of self-reflection about one’s emotions and values.

While this might sound rather ambitious, we were fortunate that our November opening allowed us to develop a softer concept: “A Special Post Office Open Only During Year’s End.” We created a gentle, accessible exhibition experience where visitors could read and write letters, make their packages, and reflect on their thoughts and feelings in a vintage post office setting, complete with soft carol music—perfect for the contemplative year-end season.

As an interactive exhibition, visitor responses proved fascinating. Some days, we noticed many emotional stamps clustered around keywords like ‘happiness’ and ‘love,’ leading us to observe, “Ah, people in Busan must be feeling particularly positive!” On weekdays, we saw more stamps on negative words, revealing interesting patterns in how emotions fluctuated throughout the week. One memorable visitor was an elementary school student who placed a stamp next to ‘anxiety’ because of an upcoming soccer tournament, selected a ‘love’-themed letter for his mother, and chose a ‘gratitude’ tag—a touching reminder that even young children experience a rich spectrum of emotions.

I want to share one of our most significant exhibition features: the “Empathy Letter Section,” a dedicated zone where visitors can exchange messages of empathy and comfort with one another. We designed this space for people to share their experiences, circumstances, and emotions through empathetic letters, along with their personal healing tips that might comfort others. Initially, we worried that visitors might be reluctant to write anything, but they enthusiastically embraced the concept, to our delight. People wrote letters thoughtfully, some playfully, posted them on panels, and sometimes took home messages that resonated with them—creating a genuine exchange of empathy and solace. Reading these letters daily has also been a source of comfort for me, offering glimpses into the diverse stories people carry.

It’s been heartwarming to watch visitors come with their partners, friends, and family members, exchanging letters and sharing intimate moments together. The “Team Storyteller” students and I feel immense satisfaction seeing these interactions. Interestingly, some visitors deliberately came alone, noting that it was easier to express their emotions honestly without companions.

With each exhibition I create, I’m reminded that it’s truly a collaborative process, bringing together many people’s strengths to create something meaningful. Working with university students this time allowed us to transform a decent concept into reality while offering me a fresh perspective on project execution. I’m deeply proud of these young students who, despite their age, managed everything from planning to implementation, setup, and operations. Our team leader’s mentoring support was invaluable throughout this process. What began as a concept became a reality thanks to the Amorepacific Empathy Foundation’s proactive support and implementation proposal. We’re also grateful to “Ongi box” (Ongi Corporation) for readily agreeing to contribute emotional keyword letters, adding depth to our exhibition.

We’re pleased to announce that the exhibition has been extended until January 5th, allowing more people to experience it. I encourage our colleagues to visit the Empathy Post Office if they find themselves in Busan during this period. It’s an opportunity to exchange thoughts with anonymous correspondents and reflect on their thoughts.

As we approach the end of the year, I hope you find moments to extend empathy not only to your own heart but also to the hearts of others, making these final days of December truly warm and meaningful.