Popular Actor Lee Jung-gil Makes First Hometown Love Donation of 5 Million Won to Gyeongbuk Province

Talent and popular film actor Lee Jung-gil (right in the photo) is shaking hands with Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, after donating 5 million won as the first hometown love donation in Gyeongbuk.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] Talent and popular actor Lee Jeong-gil became the first donor by donating 5 million won to Gyeongbuk Province's Hometown Love Donation Fund on the 1st.

Mr. Lee was born in Cheongjin, Hamgyeongbuk-do, and has appeared in over 100 works including history, historical dramas, dramas, and movies during his 57 years as an actor. He can be considered the origin of the Korean Wave culture that spread Korean culture and history worldwide.

The first donor, Lee Jeong-gil, said, "Although Gyeongbuk is not my hometown, having worked on many projects as an actor, I consider Gyeongbuk, the center of Korean culture and history, as my second hometown, and I am pleased to be the first to donate to the Hometown Love Donation Fund."

Gyeongbuk Province provided the 5 million won donor with a tax deduction benefit of 808,500 won and a gift of pottery worth 1.5 million won made by a holder of the local intangible cultural asset.

The Hometown Love Donation System is a system where individuals voluntarily donate to any local government nationwide except their address area, and the local government provides tax deduction benefits and local specialties as gifts to donors.

The donation amount is limited to 5 million won per individual annually, and donors are provided gifts within 30% of the donation amount.

The funds collected through the Hometown Love Donation Fund are used for supporting local culture and arts, welfare youth development and protection projects, local community revitalization projects, and projects necessary for improving residents' welfare.

Gyeongbuk Province plans to discover projects suitable for the region's characteristics where donors can feel the change and actively promote them to evoke donors' sympathy and spread a voluntary donation culture.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, "We are grateful that Lee Jeong-gil, a representative actor of our country, participated as the first donor of Gyeongbuk, and it became a meaningful and significant donation," adding, "We will discover and promote meaningful projects that reflect the donors' hearts with the collected donations."