Retired Changwon Special City Official Yoon Younggeun Receives National Recommendation Award

A Record of Over 15,000 Hours of Volunteer Work in 50 Years
Bringing Honor to Changwon City Nationwide

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam announced that Yoon Younggeun (male, 68), a retired public official who has dedicated his life to volunteer work for neighbors and the local community, received the 'Order of Civil Merit' at the 14th National Recommendation Award Ceremony held at the Peace & Park Convention Center of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Changwon City Retired Public Official Younggeun Yoon Receives National Medal of Honor from the People’s Recommendation Awards.

At the award ceremony held on the 14th, Choi Sangmok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, attended and personally presented the Order of Civil Merit and other awards to Yoon and other recipients.

The National Recommendation Award, implemented since 2011, is a government award system that recognizes unsung heroes who have quietly devoted and contributed to society. Candidates are reviewed by the National Recommendation Award Review Committee, submitted to the Cabinet, and the final grade is determined with the President's approval. The award is especially meaningful because recipients are chosen based on public recommendations. It is reported that thousands of candidates were nominated nationwide this year. After the first, second, and final reviews, 20 people were selected as government award recipients.

Yoon was included in the list of recipients for this year's National Recommendation Award in recognition of his volunteer work for the socially disadvantaged over the past 50 years.

Yoon first began volunteering as a teenager in 1974, participating in summer rural volunteer activities. Since then, over the past 50 years, he has dedicated more than 5,000 volunteer sessions and 15,000 hours to various activities supporting the elderly, people with disabilities, youth, women, children, and infants?those considered socially vulnerable. According to his acquaintances, the actual number of volunteer activities he has participated in is likely more than double the recorded figures.

In particular, Yoon became a public official in Changwon City in 1980 and is well known for having donated about 30% of his monthly salary to neighbors in need for 38 years until his retirement in 2018. He also visited hospice wards, nursing homes, prisons, and lifelong learning centers to perform harmonica and hold concerts. He formed a music band with fellow public officials from Changwon City and held charity performances, donating all proceeds several times.

Yoon said, "I started volunteering because I received a lot of help during difficult times and wanted to give back the love I received," adding, "My goal is to use what I have learned and my various talents to become someone who can be of service throughout the community."

An official from Changwon City said, "He was a role model even while in office, and after retirement, he continues to bring honor to Changwon Special City through his volunteer work nationwide," adding, "We will widely promote his positive influence so it can spread throughout the public sector."