Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation Wins Grand Prize in Society Category at 'Korea ESG Awards'... President Namil Kim Receives Individual Grand Prize

Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation (President Namil Kim) announced on December 10 that it received the Grand Prize in the Public Institution Society (S) category at the 3rd Korea ESG Awards, hosted by the Korea ESG Association.

This competition was held to discover and share outstanding cases in four areas-ESG Integration, Environment (E), Society (S), and Governance (G)-targeting the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as local governments nationwide, public institutions, private companies, various organizations, and individuals.

Namil Kim, President of Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation (right), received the Grand Prize in the Individual Category at the Korea ESG Awards.

Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation was honored with the award in recognition of its achievements in strengthening the self-sufficiency of local communities and revitalizing the regional economy through tourism, aiming to overcome the crisis of regional extinction and promote mutual growth.

During the bid process for the 2025 APEC Summit, Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation, as the management and operating body of the Bomun Tourist Complex, contributed to the first successful APEC bid by a basic local government by coordinating differing opinions among Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Gyeongju City, and resident companies, and establishing a cooperative governance structure.

Furthermore, to prepare for APEC, the corporation established the APEC Support Task Force and the APEC Project Task Force, implementing 13 projects worth 31 billion won to improve the infrastructure and tourism environment of the Bomun Tourist Complex. In collaboration with Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council, Gyeongju City, and Pohang City, the corporation also succeeded in attracting the 2026 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit to Gyeongju and Pohang, enhancing the region's status as a city for international conferences.

In addition, since 2019, the corporation has worked with Gyeongsangbuk-do Province to support the local tourism industry through financial and environmental improvement projects. Over the past six years, it has provided 20.4 billion won in tourism promotion funds to 533 local tourism businesses, supporting the development of tourism projects and creating a living population effect of approximately 210,000 people. Moreover, it supported 42 billion won in facility and environmental improvements for 3,179 restaurants and accommodation businesses, helping to sustain the local tourism ecosystem and maintain employment stability even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, the corporation has served as the control tower for local culture and tourism, supporting Nari Village in Ulleung County to be selected as the first UN Tourism Korea Representative Village in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Through collaboration with resident councils and local governments, it discovered the unique values of the village and laid the foundation for regions facing the risk of extinction to grow into world-class tourist destinations.

Meanwhile, Namil Kim, President of Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Corporation, also received the Grand Prize in the Individual ESG category at the 3rd Korea ESG Awards hosted by the Korea ESG Association. This award recognized President Kim's leadership in the public sector ESG field, particularly in ecological environment (E), coexistence with haenyeo and local communities (S), and tourism ESG governance (G).

President Namil Kim stated, "This award is thanks to the colleagues, local communities, haenyeo, youth, and residents who have worked together on the ground," adding, "Going forward, I will continue to prioritize ecological preservation, community coexistence, and sustainable tourism ESG, fulfilling the public role."

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