Chilgok County Wins Grand Prize in Social Welfare at "Korea Local Government Publicity Awards"

Presenting Solutions for a Super-Aged Society
Nationally Recognized as No. 1 for Policies and Content Integrating Culture and Everyday Welfare
Advancing Chilgok’s Response Model

Chilgok County in North Gyeongsang Province received the Grand Prize in the Social Welfare category at the "Korea Local Government Publicity Awards," which was held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building in Seoul on the 21st.

This publicity award is organized by the Korea Media & Video Education Promotion Agency and sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Communications Commission.

This year, 228 local governments from across the country competed fiercely in 10 categories, including policy, safety management, population measures, social welfare, smart cultural cities, festivals, tourism, revitalization of the local economy, historical culture, and environmental climate. Among them, Chilgok County ranked first nationwide in the social welfare category.

Kim Jaewook, Chilgok County Governor, took a commemorative photo for winning the Grand Prize in the Social Welfare category of the "Korea Local Government Publicity Awards" at the county office on the 21st. Photo by Kim Ihwan

The panel of judges highly praised Chilgok County for making senior welfare one of the core pillars of county administration and for expanding this focus into policies and cultural content.

The process in which grandmothers who had not learned to read acquired literacy, began writing poetry, and then communicated with younger generations through rap was recognized as a notable example of community restoration. These activities have been featured not only on major domestic broadcasters but also on international media outlets such as the BBC, CNN, and Reuters, giving rise to a new cultural symbol known as "K-Halmeoni" (K-Grandmother).

Chilgok County combined the stories of seniors with local identity to launch a joint agricultural brand called "Healthy Chilgok Halmae." In particular, a promotional video for the brand featuring rapper Sleepy and Chilgok grandmothers received positive reviews for its fresh and humorous composition. The attempt to connect senior cultural activities with local agriculture and the economy was also positively evaluated during the judging process.

Video content addressing the field of everyday welfare also received praise for increasing residents’ empathy. Videos covering improvements to senior centers, digital literacy education, and job opportunities for the elderly were structured around real-life examples of change, earning a strong response.

Lee Jaehyuk, Director of Planning and Audit, stated, "We will continue to deliver deeper and higher-quality publicity so that the value of our policies is accurately conveyed to the residents."

Kim Jaewook, Governor of Chilgok County, said, "The solution to the challenges of an aging society should be found in changes to daily life, rather than just in numbers." He added, "Chilgok County’s direction is to create a city where seniors are respected until the very end, by integrating senior center improvements, job expansion, digital education, and cultural activities." He continued, "Taking this award as an opportunity, we will further develop Chilgok’s response model."

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