Goheung, Yeongju, and Anseong Win Grand Prizes at Hometown Love Donation Awards

[Anchor]

The 2nd Hometown Love Donation Awards, co-hosted by SBS and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, has taken place. Following fierce competition among local governments that achieved notable results in operating the hometown love donation system, Goheung-gun in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Anseong in Gyeonggi Province won the grand prizes.

Reporter Yun Nara has the details.

[Reporter]

Marking Hometown Love Day on September 4, the 2nd Hometown Love Donation Awards ceremony was held at the SBS Prism Tower in Sangam-dong, Seoul.

Out of 243 local governments nationwide, 15 that achieved outstanding results in responding to regional extinction crises and promoting balanced development through the hometown love donation system were honored with awards.

The grand prizes went to Goheung-gun in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Anseong in Gyeonggi Province.

Goheung-gun recorded the highest fundraising amount in Jeonnam-Gwangju through the nation's first experiential program combining donations, volunteering, and travel, winning the grand prize along with the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award. Yeongju increased its fundraising amount by 440 percent compared to the previous year by utilizing private platforms and the network of people from the region living elsewhere, receiving the grand prize along with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award.

Anseong recorded the highest fundraising performance within Gyeonggi Province through empathetic designated donation projects, such as providing breakfast for students, earning the honor of the grand prize for the second consecutive year.

[Kong Young-min / Mayor of Goheung-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City: I truly feel that this system is playing a major role in regions where the hometown love donation system helps save areas at risk of extinction.]

The gold prizes were awarded to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Sokcho in Gangwon Province, and Dong-gu in the Jeonnam-Gwangju area. The silver prizes went to Jung-gu in Daejeon, Buan-gun in North Jeolla Province, and Hadong-gun in South Gyeongsang Province. The bronze prizes were won by Busan, Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, and Jincheon-gun in North Chungcheong Province.

In the special award categories, Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province won the Balanced Development Excellence Award, Yeosu in the Jeonnam-Gwangju area won the Regional Economy Revitalization Award, and Yeoncheon-gun in Gyeonggi Province won the Regional Extinction Crisis Outstanding Response Award.

[Bang Moon-shin / SBS President and CEO: I think the purpose of the Hometown Love Donation Awards is to find solutions together to the crisis of regional extinction, and through this, to widely promote the purpose of the hometown love donation system.]

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to pursue institutional improvements to further spread the hometown love donation system.

[Yoon Ho-jung / Minister of the Interior and Safety: Starting next year, we have decided to provide greater tax benefits when making donations to regions with declining populations and difficult financial conditions. We will steadily promote necessary institutional improvements, such as introducing corporate donations.]

SBS and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will hold the 1st Hometown Love Festa at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on September 19 and 20, featuring exhibitions and experiences of return gifts from local governments nationwide.

The event will also feature prize events to encourage on-site donations and academic seminars to share best practices for hometown love donations.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-tae, VJ: Kim Hyung-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.