"Always Thinking Fondly"... Moon's Story of Donating 5 Million Won to Geoje

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] It has been revealed that former President Moon Jae-in made a hometown love donation to his hometown, Geoje, Gyeongnam, in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

On the 26th, Geoje City announced that former President Moon donated 5 million won on the 13th through the online portal for the Hometown Love Donation System, 'Hometown Love e-Eum.' It was reported that former President Moon did not contact Geoje City separately during the donation process.

Former President Moon's hometown is Myeongjin-ri, Geoje-myeon. His family is originally from Hamheung, Hamgyeongnam-do, and they fled to Geoje during the Hungnam evacuation. Former President Moon was born here in January 1953 and lived there until he was six years old before moving to Busan. His childhood home still remains in Namjeong Village, Myeongjin-ri, where he spent his early years.

Former President Moon also expressed his special affection for Geoje in his autobiography. He wrote, "Although I left when I was young and do not have many memories, it is still my hometown and a place where my parents lived as refugees, so it always holds a special place in my heart. When I was at the Blue House, I always paid attention whenever requests came in to help with local issues in the Geoje area."

Former President Moon Jae-in. [Image source=The Minjoo Party of Korea, Yonhap News]

The Hometown Love Donation System, which started on the 1st, is a program where people can donate to their hometown or a local government of their choice to improve the welfare of local residents and revitalize the local economy.

The maximum annual donation per person is 5 million won, the amount donated by former President Moon. Up to 100,000 won is fully deductible, and amounts exceeding 100,000 won can receive a 16.5% deduction. Local governments provide thank-you gifts within 30% of the donation amount. It is known that former President Moon did not apply for any thank-you gifts.

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