Jeonnam Province Announces Open Recruitment for the 13th Beautiful Story Grandmothers Program

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province and the Korea Institute of Korean Studies are openly recruiting the 13th class of "Beautiful Story Grandmothers" who will tell traditional Korean folktales to young children.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 15th, the "Beautiful Story Grandmothers" project is a government-funded program in which elderly women tell traditional Korean folktales to children at early childhood education institutions. The Korea Institute of Korean Studies acts as an agent for local government projects nationwide.

This year, 18 people will be selected. However, residents of eight cities and counties (Gokseong, Naju, Damyang, Mokpo, Muan, Sinan, Yeosu, Hampyeong) where sufficient personnel have already been selected or where there is low demand for the project are excluded from eligibility.

There are no special qualifications such as educational background or work experience required; any woman holding South Korean nationality aged between 56 and 74 can apply.

Applications can be submitted by mail or email by February 22 after checking the details on the Story Grandmother Project website.

The Korea Institute of Korean Studies will select the final candidates through document screening and interviews, including storytelling ability assessments.

The prospective Story Grandmothers who pass the interview will complete about 60 hours of training from May to September and then be dispatched to early childhood education institutions in their residential areas to work two to three times a week for five years. They will receive a practice allowance of 40,000 KRW per session.

For more details, contact the Jeonnam Province Cultural Resources Division or the Korea Institute of Korean Studies Story Grandmother Project team.

Yu Younggwang, head of the Jeonnam Province Cultural Resources Division, said, "This is a meaningful project that revives the tradition of knee-to-knee education and nurtures the character of future generations of young children," and added, "We ask for the active participation of elderly women who are interested."

Meanwhile, the Story Grandmother project began in 2009 with the purpose of early character education for future generations, self-realization through social participation of the elderly generation, and intergenerational transmission of traditional culture. In particular, it is a significant project that provides elderly women with a sense of fulfillment through volunteering and pride as members of social participation.

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