Former President Moon Jae-in Donates Neighbor Aid Fund for 3 Consecutive Years

Donation of 5 Million KRW to Yangsan City Welfare Foundation
"Will Ensure Proper Delivery to Families in Need"

Former President Moon Jae-in donated neighbor-helping funds for the third consecutive year, asking for them to be used for underprivileged groups during the year-end and New Year holidays.

The Gyeongnam Community Chest of Korea announced on the 27th that former President Moon donated 5 million won to the Yangsan City Welfare Foundation to help neighbors in need in the Yangsan area. It is known that former President Moon returned to Yangsan after his retirement and has been residing there to this day. The donated funds will be used through the 'Our Neighborhood Happiness Dream' project, a partnership between the Gyeongnam Community Chest of Korea and the Yangsan City Welfare Foundation, to support emergency relief living expenses, medical expenses, and housing costs for low-income households in Yangsan City. Park Eun-duk, the secretary general of the Community Chest, said, "We will ensure that the precious donation is properly delivered to low-income households in the region who need help."

Former President Moon Jae-in. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Previously, former President Moon also donated 5 million won to his hometown Geoje City in Gyeongnam through the online 'Hometown Love e-um' in 2022 and 2023. The Hometown Love Donation System is a program that allows donations to hometowns or desired local governments to promote residents' welfare and revitalize the local economy. Donations can be made to local governments other than the registered address of residence. Donors receive tax deductions and local specialties or local gift certificates as tokens of appreciation. The donation limit is 5 million won per person annually. During the Moon Jae-in administration in 2017, the 'Hometown Love Donation Act' was proposed, and in October 2021, the Act on Hometown Love Donations was enacted.

Meanwhile, former President Moon was born in 1953 in Myeongjin-ri, Geoje-myeon, Geoje City, near the end of the Korean War, and lived there until he was six years old before moving to Busan. His childhood home remains in Namjeong Village, Myeongjin-ri, where he spent his early years. In his autobiography, former President Moon stated, "Since Geoje City is the place I left when I was young, I don't have many memories of it. Still, it is my hometown and the place where my parents lived as refugees, so I always think of it fondly." He also revealed, "When requests came to help with local issues in Geoje while I was at the Blue House, I always paid close attention."