Busan marks 47th Citizens' Day with ceremony, awards

Busan held the 47th Busan Citizens' Day ceremony Thursday morning at the main auditorium of City Hall. The city established Oct. 5 — the Gregorian equivalent of the first day of the ninth lunar month of 1592, when Admiral Yi Sun-sin won a decisive victory at the Battle of Busan — as Busan Citizens' Day in 1980 and has marked the occasion annually ever since.

About 700 people attended the ceremony, including Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, heads of major institutions, civic group representatives, members of the Busan Victory Commemoration Association and residents. The event celebrated the 434th anniversary of the naval victory and rallied public support behind the city's goal of becoming South Korea's maritime capital.

The 42nd Proud Citizen Award, given to individuals who have contributed to community development and residents' well-being, went to seven recipients this year. Jo Jeong-hee, chair of the Busan chapter of the Korea Women's Consumer Federation, received the grand prize. The main prizes went to Bae Jung-hyo, chair of the Buk-gu chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council (community category), and Yu Sun-deok, a counseling volunteer at the Life Line crisis center (volunteer service category). Encouragement prizes went to Kang Saeng-il, chief executive of Hanchang Tower Co. (volunteer service); Kim Yang-ae, chief executive of the Umtree Sharing Center (volunteer service); Kim Cheol, chairman of Korea Medical Foundation's Busan Korea Hospital (volunteer service); and Ahn Jae-moon, head of the Ahn Jae-moon Legal Scrivener Office (volunteer service).

The commemorative performance featured the Busan Dongrae Gugak Orchestra — an ensemble of young traditional music and dance artists based in Busan — who delivered a program reflecting on the city's history and looking ahead to its future.

In his address, Mayor Jeon congratulated the Proud Citizen Award recipients for their contributions to Busan. "Building on Busan's proven strength in forging new paths, we will lead the era of Arctic shipping routes and, together with our citizens, complete Busan's vision as South Korea's maritime capital," he said.

Before the ceremony, Mayor Jeon, City Council Speaker Kang Mu-gil, Superintendent Kim Seok-jun and about 30 others visited Chungnyeolsa shrine to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for the country.