46 Hidden Heroes of the Republic of Korea Receive National Recommendation Awards... 6 Order of Civil Merit, 7 National Service Medals, 15 Presidential Citations

Over the Past 10 Years, 6,462 Public Nominations Led to the Discovery of 466 Unsung Heroes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Forty-six unsung heroes who have quietly practiced sharing and conveyed hope in unseen places for marginalized and struggling neighbors have been selected as recipients of the '10th National Recommendation Awards.'

On the 2nd, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will hold the award ceremony for the 10th National Recommendation Awards on the 3rd at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, inviting the awardees selected as government award recipients.

At the event, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun will attend to personally pin medals and decorations on the recipients' chests and express gratitude and congratulations while taking commemorative photos with each awardee.

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the National Recommendation Awards is a commendation system where the government rewards hidden neighbors in our society who are directly recommended by the public. So far, out of a total of 6,462 national recommendations, 466 hidden heroes have been discovered and awarded.

Among the recipients, the couple Jeon Jong-bok and Kim Soon-bun, who were awarded the highest grade medal, the Order of Civil Merit, Dongbaek Medal, practiced true sharing by donating 3 billion KRW of assets they had saved through a lifetime of frugality without hesitation to poor neighbors. The couple stated, "We have only put into practice the idea of returning our assets to society for a long time, and before we leave, we will also donate the remaining assets to the underprivileged."

Additionally, Kim Byung-yang, a master shoemaker who worked for over 50 years at the corner of the Myeongdong entrance and donated 1.2 billion KRW of assets he had saved, and pledged to donate his current residence as well, along with the elderly couple Kim Young-seok and Yang Young-ae, who donated 20 billion KRW earned from selling fruit for 50 years to a university and pledged to donate real estate worth another 20 billion KRW, received the Order of Civil Merit, Magnolia Medal.

Sports doctor Kim Tae-young, who has provided free talent donation of sports programs for over 30 years to prevent injuries and improve performance of athletes at domestic and international sports competitions, and Buk Geum-hyun, who lived as a haenyeo (female diver) for 64 years and donated her entire savings of 100 million KRW to a university and has supported scholarships for underprivileged students for decades, received the National Medal. The Posco Clean Ocean Volunteer Group, a male volunteer organization that contributed to the preservation of the marine ecosystem through marine environment cleanup activities in the Yeongilman sea area for 11 years, also received the Presidential Citation.

Furthermore, Jo Gil-hong, known as the 'Scissor Hands of Love,' who operated a barbershop for 40 years and donated his talents to students of Hanbit School for the Mentally Handicapped, visually impaired individuals, and elderly patients in nursing hospitals, and 23-year-old brave youth Gu Gyo-don, who witnessed a fire in an 11-story residential-commercial complex and immediately entered the building to alert residents of the fire, evacuating about 200 people without casualties, were selected as recipients of the Prime Minister's Citation.

Lee Jae-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Over the past 10 years, we have found hidden heroes who have warmed South Korea and delivered the 'National Recommendation Awards' to express our gratitude," adding, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will continue to make greater efforts so that warm hearts and messages of hope can be widely conveyed."

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