Naju City Selects Two Recipients for This Year's Citizen Award

Published 14 Oct.2021 09:47(KST)

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Han-hyuk Lee] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 14th that it held a merit review committee to select recipients of the Citizen's Award and selected Lee Chun-hyung (62, male) in the social welfare category and Oh Jong-soon (69·male) in the education and culture category as recipients from a total of three candidates.

The Citizen's Award selects one person in each of the five categories?regional development, social welfare, loyalty and filial piety, industrial economy, and education and culture?through the merit review committee.

This year, reflecting the committee members' opinions that an objective evaluation of candidates' merits and a rigorous verification of local public opinion are necessary, three members of the review committee were selected to form a merit verification team.

The verification team conducted fact-checking through official documents on candidates' merits and local public opinion surveys with related parties, sharing the comprehensive results of the verification activities during the review committee meetings and reflecting them in the evaluation process.

Lee Chun-hyung, selected as the honorable recipient in the social welfare category, serves as the director of the ‘Haengbok-ui Jip’ facility located in Donggok-ri, Seji-myeon.

He is recognized for caring for elderly people who find it difficult to live independently and who do not receive sufficient support from their children, treating them like parents and contributing to the protection and establishment of elderly human rights.

Since the facility opened in 2003, Lee has cared for 110 elderly residents and currently lives with 23 residents.

He has worked to create a pleasant environment through expansion and renovation of living quarters, lawn planting, and creating rest areas, as well as operating care services and programs that reflect the wishes of the elderly.

In the education and culture category, Oh Jong-soon, who currently serves as Honorary Chairman of the Jeollanam-do Chapter of the Korea Specialty Contractors Association and CEO of Geumseong Construction Co., Ltd., was selected.

Oh has continued to practice sharing and volunteering based on his difficult childhood experiences and the belief that ‘corporate profits should be returned to the local community.’

Especially, since 2010, Oh has served as a director of the Naju Education Promotion Foundation and has contributed a total of 61.25 million KRW over seven times as a regional talent development fund, helping to foster local talent and strengthen educational competitiveness.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “I congratulate those selected for this honorable award given in the name of 120,000 Naju citizens,” and added, “I hope the beautiful hearts of the two recipients will spread as a bright light in the local community and illuminate the path of Naju with hope.”

The award ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on the 30th in the main conference room of the city hall during the ‘40th Anniversary of Naju City Promotion Citizens' Day Ceremony.’

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and comply with quarantine rules, only the recipients and their families will attend with a minimum number of people, and the ceremony will be broadcast live on Naju City's official YouTube channel.

The Naju Citizen's Award has discovered a total of 33 recipients since 1996 and has specially honored them by permanently recording and preserving their merits.