Ministry of Culture Presents Certificate of Appreciation to Grandmother Storytellers with Over Five Years of Service

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, together with the Korea Studies Advancement Center, it will hold the '2025 Grandmother Storyteller Day' event at the Daejeon Convention Center starting at 12:00 p.m. on November 25.

The event will include a graduation ceremony for 405 grandmother storytellers who have completed more than five years of activity, as well as a completion ceremony for the 541 members of the 17th class of grandmother storytellers, who were selected this year, received one year of training, and will begin their activities next year.

Grandmother Storyteller Activity Scene [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

The 'Beautiful Grandmother Storyteller' program dispatches grandmothers to early childhood education institutions nationwide, where they share traditional stories and tales of virtuous figures with young children. This initiative aims to foster creativity in future generations and promote cultural exchange between generations. As of 2025, approximately 3,200 grandmother storytellers are sharing Korea's traditional stories with about 500,000 children at over 8,300 early childhood education institutions and elementary school Neulbom classes. The basic activity period for a grandmother storyteller is five years after selection, with the possibility of an additional three to five years of activity thereafter.

During the event, the Ministry will express its gratitude to the graduating grandmother storytellers who have passionately and devotedly conveyed tales of virtuous figures and traditional stories to children in the field for over five years, by presenting them with a certificate of appreciation and gifts from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Among the graduates, four grandmother storytellers-Im Jeongshin (4th class), Jang Oksun (9th class), Choi Jinsuk (12th class), and Ma Sunhee (12th class)-will receive the Minister's Commendation for their outstanding volunteer service and communication with children. In addition, 32 members of the 17th class who achieved excellent training results will be awarded the Excellence Prize.

Lee Jeongmi, Director of Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Through the Grandmother Storyteller program, which promotes character education using traditional stories that reflect our unique sensibilities, seniors and children communicate with each other, narrowing the emotional and cultural gap between generations. At the same time, the program delivers the origins of K-culture, which is expanding globally, to our children. The Ministry will continue to make every policy effort to bring joy and happiness to both the grandmother storytellers and the children."

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