Haenam-gun Receives Positive Response for Grave Mowing Service Encouraging Restraint in Hometown Visits

Published 07 Sep.2021 14:33(KST)

362 Overseas Koreans Submit 1,289 Applications, More Than Double Last Year

Haenam County is providing a grass-cutting agency service. ? Asia Economy

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan) has closed applications for the Chuseok holiday grass-cutting proxy service, conducted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with great response.

According to the county on the 7th, as of the 3rd, a total of 362 expatriates applied for proxy grass-cutting for 1,289 graves.

This figure is more than double compared to last year's 169 people and 619 graves, showing significant effectiveness in discouraging hometown visits to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Applications for the proxy grass-cutting service were mostly from expatriates living in large cities, with Seoul and Gyeonggi-do accounting for 41% and Gwangju 27%.

Since last year's proxy grass-cutting service ended with great response and was judged to have high effectiveness in discouraging hometown visits, this year the county proactively accepted applications from last month to allow more expatriates to participate.

Additionally, the Forest Cooperative helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 and supported the local community by reducing the proxy grass-cutting fee by 40%, from 80,000 won to 50,000 won, lowering the financial burden.

The Haenam-gun proxy grass-cutting service plans to complete the grass-cutting by the 15th, carried out by the Haenam-gun Forest Cooperative in order of application.

A county official said, “We have been supporting the proxy grass-cutting service since last year to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the region and to reduce the burden on expatriates who have difficulty with grass-cutting,” adding, “We will cooperate closely with the Haenam-gun Forest Cooperative to perfectly complete the service before the holiday so that expatriates who applied for proxy grass-cutting do not feel disappointed.”