Achieving 2.24 Billion KRW... County Governor Lee Byeong-no's Determined Efforts
Establishment of Dedicated Department and Promotion Team Before System Implementation Proves Effective
The top fundraising performance for hometown love donations nationwide in 2023 was recorded by Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do.
According to Damyang-gun on the 2nd, the county achieved a fundraising performance of 2.24 billion KRW last year, surpassing Jeollanam-do and ranking first among metropolitan and basic local governments nationwide.
A total of 12,074 people donated hometown love contributions, among whom 83 were high-value donors contributing 5 million KRW, and 10,495 donated 100,000 KRW, which is fully tax-deductible.
The county selected return gifts in four rounds, registering about 120 products across 43 items including local specialties such as rice, bamboo shoots, grilled short rib patties, and traditional Korean sweets, and donated approximately 500 million KRW worth of return gifts to donors in 1,686 cases.
The background for achieving the nationwide top performance is evaluated to be the advanced preparation and determination of County Governor Lee Byeong-no regarding the system.
Governor Lee was known to have anticipated that the hometown love donation system would play a significant role in alleviating financial disparities between regions. Even before the system was implemented in 2022, he established a dedicated department and formed a promotion team.
He personally visited Damyang-gun hometown associations in Seoul, Gwangju, and Jeju, as well as Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul and Gwaneumsa Temple in Jeju, to introduce the purpose of the hometown love donation system and Damyang’s distinctive return gifts.
Promotional efforts that drew attention included a promotional video featuring national soccer player Na Sang-ho from the Qatar World Cup and attaching hometown love donation promotional labels on the back of HiteJinro Chamisul soju bottles. These unique promotional activities were also noteworthy.
In addition to Damyang-gun’s efforts, cooperation from institutions and organizations also played a role. The Nonghyup Damyang-gun branch and nine Gwangju Nonghyup branches pledged cooperation through a rural-urban exchange cooperation ceremony, and Gwangju Buk-gu, Gwangsan-gu, Jangseong-gun in Jeollanam-do, and Damyang-gun launched the Gwangju-Jeonnam Northern Region Win-Win Development Council to foster a culture of donation.
Furthermore, public officials were encouraged to read the book How Hirado City Became Japan’s Best, a representative success case of the hometown tax system implemented earlier in Japan than in Korea. The author of this book is Naruhiko Kuroda, mayor of Hirado City.
Governor Lee said, "The hometown love donation system will supplement the poor finances of local governments and greatly contribute to the development of Damyang-gun. We will do our best to make Damyang a hometown in the hearts of all citizens."
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