Yoon In-chon Announces Expansion of 'Story Grandmother' Program to "Realize the Value of Humanities"

Visiting Gurip Daon Daycare Center
"Growing into a Major Enterprise, Feeling Nostalgic"

Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the Daon Children's Center in Gangdong-gu, Seoul on the 8th to observe the 'Iyagi Halmoni' (Story Grandmother) activities and listen to on-site opinions.

'Iyagi Halmoni' is a program that dispatches elderly women to early childhood education institutions nationwide to tell children traditional stories and tales of virtuous ancestors. Minister Yoo first launched the program in 2009, during his tenure as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, with thirty grandmothers from the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. Now, approximately 3,200 grandmothers annually share traditional Korean stories with about 500,000 children at over 8,300 early childhood education institutions. The program's scope has expanded to include elementary schools and Neulbom schools, reaching 122 schools.

On this day, Minister Yoo expressed gratitude for the dedication of the Iyagi Halmoni and listened to traditional stories together with the children. He then discussed the future development of the Iyagi Halmoni program with Story Grandmothers Choi Gil-hwan, Heo Hyun-sook, and Jang Jeong-hye, Kim Won-jung, director of Daon Children's Center, Jeong Jong-seop, president of the Korea Institute of Korean Studies, and Kim Song-ju, head of the Iyagi Halmoni Project Headquarters.

Minister Yoo said, "It is moving and rewarding to see a small project that started 15 years ago in some regions grow into a large nationwide program." He added, "This program realizes humanistic values by passing down beautiful traditions to future generations and promoting communication between generations. We will continue to expand and develop it further."