South Korea's first South Korea-Japan international seminar seeking ways to revitalize the hometown donation system, introduced for balanced regional development, will be held for two days starting from the 19th at the Korea Local Tax Research Institute and the aT Center in Yangjae-dong.

Organized as part of the 1st Hometown Love Festa co-hosted by SBS and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, this seminar aims to explore sustainable development directions for the hometown donation system through on-site experiences from local governments in both South Korea and Japan, alongside academic and policy discussions by experts.

In particular, the keynote speeches for this seminar will feature heads of local governments and experts representing on-site experiences from both countries.

From Japan, Professor Shuji Ohira of Musashi University will introduce Japan's hometown tax donation operational cases, while Mayor Masahiro Hashimoto of Sakai Town will share cases linking hometown tax donations with regional economic revitalization.

From South Korea, Anseong Mayor Kim Bo-ra and Goheung County Mayor Gong Young-min, who won the grand prize at the 2nd SBS-Ministry of the Interior and Safety Hometown Donation Awards, are scheduled to introduce their experiences in regional innovation and revitalization using the hometown donation system, respectively.

Following this, Shin Seung-keun, President of the Korea Local Tax Research Institute, and Cho Kyung-hee, adjunct professor at Konkuk University Graduate School of Public Policy, will present on the system's expansion possibilities, including revitalizing the hometown donation system, regional content security rights, regional finance, and a hometown donation system tailored for overseas Koreans.

Subsequently, experts from South Korea and Japan will hold extensive discussions on sustainable development for the hometown donation system and measures to revitalize the regional economy.

Through this international seminar, expectations are high for exploring the potential of the hometown donation system to evolve into a system that discovers unique regional resources and content, connecting donations with the local economy to create new regional value.

Shin Seung-keun, President of the Korea Local Tax Research Institute which is hosting this seminar, stated, "The hometown donation system goes beyond securing necessary financial resources for regions; it is a system where citizens and regions forge new relationships and discover regional values together." He added, "I hope this seminar will serve as an opportunity to share the experiences and wisdom of both countries and find directions for the hometown donation system to add practical vitality to regions."

President Shin further noted, "The Local Tax Research Institute will also continue its research and policy support so that the hometown donation system can develop into a system creating new regional possibilities from the perspective of 'Local Transformation (LX),' which connects regional resources, people, and ideas to generate new value."