"'Kki'-Bonded 'Gumin Actor'... Stepping Up as Yongsan's Promotional Closer"

11 District Residents to Participate Until Year-End
Directly Planning and Appearing on YouTube

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District (center in the photo), and the successful community actors are taking a commemorative photo at the Yongsan District Office studio. (Photo by Yongsan District Office)

Eleven talented residents of Yongsan District gathered at the Yongsan District Office Internet Broadcasting Studio in Seoul. These individuals, diverse in age and occupation, are none other than the “Gu.Min.Bae.U” (District Resident Actors).

Yongsan District selected actors over the past month to appear on the official Yongsan District Office YouTube channel, promoting the district’s administration and news. The initiative is meaningful as residents themselves inform the public about district affairs and provides an opportunity for residents to showcase their talents. Since it was open to the general public and is a rare attempt among autonomous districts, there were some concerns.

On the 7th, the eleven Yongsan residents received their final acceptance notifications. They went through document screening, script acting, and camera tests. The judging panel, composed of producers and writers working at the district office’s internet broadcasting station, carefully and comprehensively evaluated acting, lines, expressions, and commitment. The final competition ratio was 10 to 1.

Choi Hyang-sook, Public Relations Officer at Yongsan District Office, said, “We originally planned to select only ten, but when we opened the applications, there were so many outstanding candidates that we chose more,” adding, “The resident actors will not only appear in YouTube content but also participate in planning and take a leading role.”

Yongsan-gu, Seoul, selected 'Resident Actors' to promote district administration through an audition. Kim Seung-woo (18), a high school student and the youngest successful candidate among the resident actors, is introducing himself. (Photo by Yongsan-gu Office)

On the afternoon of the 22nd, the resident actors’ orientation was held at the internet broadcasting station on the third basement floor of Yongsan District Office. There, high school student Kim Seung-woo (18) lightened the studio atmosphere with an impression of actor Han Suk-kyu during his first greeting.

The oldest successful candidate, Park Jong-moon (64), said, “I applied because I thought it would be meaningful for me, living in Yongsan, to appear in content about Yongsan,” and added, “I hope my experience in the related industry will help promote Yongsan well.”

Park, who has worked as an advertising designer in the fashion advertising industry for 40 years, has also been gaining recognition as an actor by appearing as a senior model, in theater, and independent films for several years. In the early 1980s, he also worked as a commercial model for brands such as Coca-Cola and Samsung Electronics.

Choi Hong-kyung (46), who transitioned from director to actor; freelance host and housewife Lee Yoo-jin (52); and university student Kim Jeong-eun (25) have diverse occupations and experiences, but all share the same “talent” and “passion.” Lee Yoo-jin said, “I am really happy to have challenged myself with something new and achieved good results,” adding, “Since everyone is going through difficult and challenging times, I want to do something helpful.”

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District, who attended the event, said, “If you add just one letter ㄱ (giyeok), you become ‘Gukmin Bae-u’ (National Actors),” and added, “I hope you achieve your dreams and actively serve as intermediaries delivering essential information from the residents’ perspective.” The first group of resident actors will be active until the end of this year.

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