Plaques and honorary citizenship certificates presented at Oct. 17 ceremony marking Geumcheon Citizen Day
Geumcheon-gu has selected four recipients of the 31st Geumcheon Citizen Award and two honorary citizens to recognize residents who have dedicated themselves to the development of the local community.
The Geumcheon Citizen Award is presented to residents or organizations that have contributed to community development across four categories: community service, civic virtue, culture and sports education, and special achievement. Honorary citizenship is conferred on individuals living outside the district — including foreign nationals and residents of other cities or counties — who have made notable contributions to Geumcheon-gu's development.
The district reviewed 26 individual candidates and two organizations nominated for the citizen award between Aug. 13 and Sept. 11, as well as two honorary citizenship candidates nominated between Sept. 7 and Sept. 18. Kim Jae-woo, Kim Chang-nam and So Myeong-su were selected in the community service category, and Oh Hae-hyeon in the special achievement category. Koo Ja-hoon and Hwang Yun-kwon were named honorary citizens. No awards were given in the culture and sports education category after candidates declined the nomination, and no winner was selected in the civic virtue category either.
Kim Jae-woo, a community service category winner, runs a vegetable shop and has spent 14 years setting aside the proceeds from his first and last customer of each day to host annual meals for marginalized neighbors.
Kim Chang-nam, who operates a supermarket, has continued sharing and supporting those in need since 2013. He has also actively sponsored the "Hope Ondol Warm Winter" campaign and various local events, contributing to the spread of a culture of giving.
So Myeong-su has carried out ongoing activities for vulnerable groups, including an annual cucumber-sharing event and laundry assistance for elderly people living alone. As head of a social welfare organization, she has also made sustained efforts to advance community development.
Oh Hae-hyeon, the special achievement category winner, served as head of a block housing redevelopment association, mediating competing interests among residents and coordinating with relevant authorities to cut the project approval period by six months, helping to invigorate redevelopment efforts in Geumcheon-gu.
Honorary citizens were named for the first time in several years. Koo Ja-hoon has served as director of the Geumcheon Senior Welfare Center since 2000, developing and operating welfare services tailored to the characteristics of the local community and the diverse needs of elderly residents, and contributing to public-private cooperation and the growth of the community welfare network. Hwang Yun-kwon, who leads the Geumcheon-gu volunteer club Rainbow Balloon Art, has participated in volunteer work and skills-sharing for the community and worked to foster harmony among residents at local events.
The awards were presented at the 31st Geumcheon Citizen Day ceremony held Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Geumcheon-gu Office plaza. The four citizen award recipients received plaques, while the two honorary citizens received honorary citizenship certificates.
Geumcheon-gu District Mayor Choi Ki-chan expressed deep gratitude to the award recipients and honorary citizens "for their dedication and service to Geumcheon in places unseen," adding, "I offer my heartfelt congratulations to all the honorees."
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