Gwangju City Selects 6 Recipients for This Year's Citizen Awards

Appointment of Advisory Committee Members and Induction into the Hall of Fame... Awards on the 21st 'Citizen's Day'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 17th that it has selected six citizens as recipients of the 35th Gwangju Metropolitan City Citizen Awards in five categories: social service, academics, culture and arts, sports, and regional economic promotion.

The awardees by category are ▲ Social Service Award: the late Kim Seon-ja and Kim Yoon-kyung, former and current operators of Haetteuneun Sikdang (Sunrise Restaurant) ▲ Academic Award: Kim Jae-guk, Professor of the Department of New Materials Engineering at Chonnam National University ▲ Culture and Arts Award: Han Hee-won, Director of Han Hee-won Art Museum ▲ Sports Award: Park Ik-su, Principal of Chonnam Girls' High School ▲ Regional Economic Promotion Award: Song Jong-wook, President of Gwangju Bank, totaling six recipients.

The late Kim Seon-ja, recipient of the Social Service Award, started the ‘Haetteuneun Sikdang’ in 2010 to help neighbors in need, repaying the help she received in her youth. Even while battling cancer in 2015, she devoted herself to running the restaurant and left a will to continue ‘Haetteuneun Sikdang’ until her last moments, providing great support to marginalized neighbors.

Kim Yoon-kyung has been operating ‘Haetteuneun Sikdang’ since 2015, continuing her late mother Kim Seon-ja’s legacy by providing meals consisting of rice, soup, and three side dishes for 1,000 won to neighbors in need, earning recognition for giving hope to marginalized neighbors and serving as a role model in the local community.

Kim Jae-guk, recipient of the Academic Award and professor at Chonnam National University’s Department of New Materials Engineering, has conducted research and development on electrode materials and battery systems for next-generation secondary batteries. He has published over 220 papers in international academic journals, enhancing national competitiveness in the battery market, fostering local talent through corporate collaboration, building infrastructure in the secondary battery materials field, and contributing to job creation.

Han Hee-won, recipient of the Culture and Arts Award and director of Han Hee-won Art Museum, has used art to expose social injustices and raise awareness of the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising. As a professional painter, she has participated in prestigious exhibitions domestically and internationally, elevating the status of Gwangju’s art scene.

In particular, her efforts in discovering writers in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, developing the ‘Good Morning Yangnim Festival,’ and establishing the ‘Penguin Village’ as part of the Gwangju Cultural Belt have been highly praised for contributing to the advancement of Gwangju’s culture through diverse artistic activities.

Park Ik-su, recipient of the Sports Award and principal of Chonnam Girls' High School, has served as an archery athlete and national team coach, achieving excellent results in international competitions and raising the status of Korean archery. He has contributed to the development of school sports by ensuring athletes’ right to education and converting school sports coaches to full-time positions through proactive and creative efforts, thereby promoting sports development in Gwangju.

Song Jong-wook, recipient of the Regional Economic Promotion Award and president of Gwangju Bank, has actively supported the establishment of the Gwangju-type job joint venture by investing 26 billion won in Gwangju Global Motors Co., Ltd., contributing to local job creation. He has also played a pivotal role in revitalizing the local economy through the operation of the Gwangju Win-Win Card and financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners affected by COVID-19, earning recognition for his contributions as a financial professional to the regional economy.

The Citizen Awards, boasting 35 years of tradition and the highest honor, have been presented since 1987 to 145 citizens and eight organizations in five categories: social service, academics, culture and arts, sports, and regional economic promotion, up to the 34th ceremony last year.

This year, Gwangju City created and operated a new candidate submission platform on the city’s website to allow anyone to easily recommend exemplary citizens. To ensure thorough verification of candidates, the nominees were publicly disclosed on the city website in advance to gather citizens’ opinions, establishing a fair and transparent selection process to create Citizen Awards that resonate with more citizens.

The 35th Gwangju Metropolitan City Citizen Awards ceremony is scheduled to be held at City Hall on the 21st, Citizen’s Day.

The awardees will be appointed as members of the City Policy Advisory Council and will have their names inscribed in the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall of Fame, a space honoring those who serve as role models in the local community through various social contribution activities.

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