On Gwangbokjeol, Housing Environment Improvement for Independence Patriots' Descendants Begins in Gyeongbuk Province

Gyeongbuk Province and Korea Habitat Sign MOU for 'Repairing Houses of Hope' on Liberation Day

At the business agreement between Gyeongbuk Province and Korea Habitat held on the 14th, Governor Lee Cheol-woo and Chairman Yoon Hyung-joo burst into bright smiles after a friendly chat. Chairman Yoon, famous as a singer of Sseseebong, is the sixth cousin of poet Yoon Dong-ju.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] In the Gyeongbuk region, where the largest number of descendants of independence activists reside, the "Hope House Repair" campaign to improve their living conditions has begun in celebration of the 75th Liberation Day.

On the 14th, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, signed a business agreement for the "Hope House Repair" campaign for descendants of independence activists with Habitat for Humanity Korea and the Gyeongbuk Youth Volunteer Group at the Habitat for Humanity Korea conference room. "Habitat for Humanity Korea" is the Korean branch of an international non-profit organization that has been steadily carrying out the "Love House Building Movement," which renovates houses in impoverished villages. Currently, the chairman is Yoon Hyung-joo, the sixth cousin of poet Yoon Dong-ju and a singer famous for the band Ssasibong.

Attending the agreement ceremony were Governor Lee, Chairman Yoon, Lee Yong-wook, head of the Gyeongbuk Youth Volunteer Group, and Lee Dong-il, head of the Gwangbokhoe Gyeongbuk branch, among others. Through this agreement, Gyeongbuk Province will recommend project beneficiaries and partially cover project costs, thereby strengthening administrative support. Meanwhile, Habitat for Humanity Korea will be responsible for fundraising and project implementation, and the Gyeongbuk Youth Volunteer Group will actively cooperate in improving living conditions through volunteer work such as talent donation.

The first beneficiary of this project is expected to be the residence of the descendant of independence activist Im Yoon-ik, located in Imha-myeon, Andong City. According to a preliminary survey conducted by Gyeongbuk Province, the residence was found to have inconveniently steep stairs for an elderly couple, doors with only thin paper coverings that do not block drafts, and heating using firewood, indicating an urgent need for housing environment improvement.

At the agreement ceremony, Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, "I understand that many descendants of independence activists live in hardship without recognition, and as Gyeongbuk is the sacred ground of the independence movement, I thought we should take the lead in caring for them first," requesting nationwide attention to the lives of independence activists' descendants.

Yoon Hyung-joo, chairman of Habitat for Humanity Korea, promised, "All the success and glory that the Republic of Korea has achieved over the 75 years since liberation is owed to the independence activists who sacrificed their youth and lives. We will repay the debt little by little through each descendant of the independence activists."

Meanwhile, Gyeongbuk has the largest number of independence activists in the country, totaling 2,267, accounting for 14.2% of the nationwide 15,931. There are 515 descendants of independence activists living in Gyeongbuk.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.