31 Candidates Received, 4 Selected After Two Rounds of Appointment Selection Committee Review
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 20th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has selected four individuals and groups who serve as role models for its 10 million citizens to be inducted into the 2021 Hall of Fame, "Faces of Seoul."
The Seoul Hall of Fame, now in its sixth year since its inception in 2016, honors inductees who have contributed to the development of city administration and the enhancement of citizen happiness, while widely publicizing their achievements to encourage citizen participation in various fields of city governance. The inductees this year include the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, a specialized counseling institution for sexual violence victims; Grandma Kim Eun-sook, known for her red bean porridge; Lee Yo-han, a hero of the Han River; and Mr. Yoon Yong-seop, known as the Tall Uncle. Their volunteerism and dedication have been recognized despite difficult circumstances.
The Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, the first specialized counseling institution for sexual violence victims in Korea, has conducted 86,591 consultations over 30 years since its establishment in 1991, bringing sexual violence?once considered a personal issue?into the social agenda. For its efforts to improve related laws and systems, including the enactment and revision of the Special Act on Sexual Violence, and for operating protection facilities for sexual violence victims, it was selected for the Hall of Fame in the field of gender equality.
Grandma Kim Eun-sook (82), who runs a red bean porridge shop, decided to care for neighbors in greater need when her daughter began suffering from mental illness, despite her own hardships. Her significant contributions include donating and volunteering a total of 1.2 billion KRW over 46 years to Eunpyeong Hospital, a psychiatric specialty hospital, and the Community Chest of Korea. She was selected for the Hall of Fame in the field of volunteerism. Regarding her selection, she expressed, "I feel really good after giving what I had."
This year, the Seoul Hall of Fame received a total of 31 candidate nominations from May 17 to July 16. After a thorough investigation of the candidates’ achievements by the Seoul Audit Committee and two rigorous evaluations by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the inductees were finalized.
Although the Seoul Metropolitan Government originally planned to hold an induction ceremony, the event was canceled due to strengthened COVID-19 social distancing measures. Instead, a bronze relief plaque featuring photos and achievements of the inductees was installed on the wall of the passageway connecting City Hall Station on Line 1 and the Citizen Hall.
Kim Sang-han, Director of Administration at Seoul City, said, “It is regrettable that the induction ceremony was canceled due to strengthened social distancing, but thanks to the inductees, Seoul has become a warm and safe city. We deeply appreciate the contributions of the inductees, who are the faces of Seoul, and will ensure they serve as role models for our 10 million citizens.”
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