SBS·Ministry of the Interior and Safety's 1st Hometown Love Festa introduces return gifts from 61 local governments in one place

SBS-Ministry of the Interior and Safety holds the 1st Hometown Love Festa

Various return gifts containing regional characteristics all in one place!

Providing an opportunity to widely spread donations in daily life that support hometowns

Welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony by Kim Min-jae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (center photo), and Yang Yun-seok, Head of SBS News Division (bottom photo)

The Hometown Love Festa, co-hosted by SBS and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for the first time, was held for two days on September 19 and 20 at the aT Center in Yangjae, Seoul.

At the 1st Hometown Love Festa, 61 major local governments from across the country participated to introduce various return gifts containing regional characteristics and the charms of each region in one place. Additionally, seven related organizations, groups, and companies, including the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants, Korea Institute of Local Finance, Korea Local Finance Association, Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corporation, and Egg Checkoff Management Committee, participated to conduct events related to the Hometown Love Donation Program. In particular, the online commerce company Uribaimi received praise for creating a YouTube channel called , where famous influencers introduced return gifts from major local governments online, allowing visitors to participate in the Hometown Love Donation Program immediately online.

The organizers provided one pack of eggs and eco-friendly bags for free to the first 300 visitors each day who pre-registered on the Hometown Love Festa website. For those who participated in donations during the Festa period, after checking their donation history on the ilovegohyang website, they were given prizes such as gift certificates or eggs through a lucky bag winning event. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety gave away character keyrings and mats for free on a first-come, first-served basis each day to visitors who participated in the 'National 8 Provinces Stamp Tour' inside the venue. The Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants promoted the Hometown Love Donation Program through village tax accountants and provided free tax consultations, while the Egg Checkoff Management Committee held an appointment ceremony for seven chefs to promote the taste of eggs and provided a tasting session featuring various egg dishes.

At the same time, a Korea-Japan international seminar hosted by the Korea Institute of Local Finance was held simultaneously during the Festa period to explore new possibilities and development strategies for the Hometown Love Donation Program. In the Korea-Japan international seminar, lectures on excellent cases of Japan's hometown tax and domestic excellent cases were delivered, and presentations and discussions on vitalizing the Hometown Love Donation Program were also conducted. Keynote lectures featured Professor Shuji Ohira of Musashi University in Japan, Masahiro Hashimoto, Mayor of Sakaimachi, Kim Bo-ra, Mayor of Anseong City, Gyeonggi-do, and Gong Yeong-min, Governor of Goheung County, Jeollanam-do, while presentations were led by Shin Seung-geun, President of the Korea Institute of Local Finance, and Cho Gyeong-hee, an adjunct professor at Konkuk University. As panelists, Kim Jin-young, a professor in the Department of Economics at Konkuk University, Park Gwan-gyu, Director of the Policy Research Center of the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea, and Park Yu-jeong, Director of the Balanced Development Promotion Division of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, participated in a heated discussion regarding development plans for the Hometown Love Donation Program.

Earlier at the opening ceremony, Kim Min-jae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said in his welcoming remarks, "Even in a single return gift made in a region, and in a single donation project promoted by a region, the resources, the sweat of the people, and the stories of the region are contained," and added, "I hope this Hometown Love Festa serves as an opportunity for 'donations in daily life that support hometowns' to spread widely."

SBS News Division Head Yang Yun-seok emphasized in his welcoming remarks, "If an awards ceremony was held to encourage local governments that worked hard for Hometown Love Donations and to spread successful cases widely, the Hometown Love Festa was planned to promote regions and widely introduce regional resources, specialties, and return gifts so that more people can take interest in each region and participate in the Hometown Love Donation Program."

Koo Jae-yi, President of the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants, said in her congratulatory remarks, "Since we are operating free tax consultation booths for the public at this Festa, I hope you learn about the Hometown Love Donation Program and also resolve your usual tax questions," and added, "The Tax Accountants Association will also continue to work until the end for the success of the Hometown Love Donation Program as a bridge connecting the people and the regions."

Shin Seung-geun, President of the Korea Institute of Local Finance, said in his congratulatory remarks, "For the Hometown Love Donation Program to grow further, there must be more opportunities to form continuous relationships with regions," and added, "I hope this Festa becomes an opportunity to discover 'another hometown' and serves as a starting point for regions to meet new interest and vitality."

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◆ At a Glance

· Issuing Organization: SBS

· Category: Press Release

· Distribution: September 21, 14:33

Source: SBS Press Release

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