Residents, Former Residents, and Companies Join Forces... Haenam County Scholarship Fund Donation Relay Surpasses 22.8 Billion KRW

100 Billion KRW Increase in Four Years
Aiming for a 50 Billion KRW Scholarship Fund

The scholarship fund project promoted by Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, has surpassed 22.8 billion KRW, and it is expected that the fund will easily reach 23 billion KRW within this year.

According to Haenam County on July 25, since 2021, the county has been actively working to expand the scholarship fund with a goal of raising 50 billion KRW. As a result, a total of 22.8 billion KRW has been raised so far. In just the first half of this year alone, donations totaling approximately 250 million KRW were collected for the scholarship fund.

Major donors include Kang Seongwoo, CEO of Newtech Co., Ltd., and Park Gwangsu, CEO of Kwangsu Electronics, who each donated 10 million KRW. Kim Dongguk, director of Haenam General Hospital, donated 20 million KRW, recording the highest cumulative donation among companies at 60 million KRW. Gamrosusan Fisheries Cooperative (CEO Jeong Gyeongseop) also donated 20 million KRW. In addition, various companies and organizations such as Cheonsaui Land Agricultural Cooperative (CEO Park Gihung), Okcheon Industry Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Miryeong), and Samsan Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Youngju) each contributed 5 million KRW.

Volunteer groups such as Rotary International Magnolia Rotary Club and International Y's Men Haenam Ttangkkeut Club each donated 1 million KRW. The Haenam Literati Painting Association donated the entire proceeds from the sale of the "Ttangkkeut Ink Fragrance Exhibition." The Kkotmae Cooperative, consisting of elderly residents from Hwasan-myeon, donated all their prize money and rewards received through resource recycling to the scholarship fund. A virtuous cycle of giving is also spreading, as students who received scholarships are donating their first salaries after entering society.

Local organizations such as the Haenam County Prosperity Association and the heads of towns and villages are also joining the donation campaign. NH Nonghyup Bank Haenam Branch, which serves as the county treasury, donated 10 million KRW, the Haenam County Agricultural Cooperative Management Council donated 20 million KRW, and the National Financial Industry Labor Union Gwangju Bank Branch donated 10 million KRW.

Since the county began raising the scholarship fund in 1997, it had mainly relied on transfers from the general budget. However, since 2021, the county has launched a large-scale fundraising effort to make the fund self-sustaining. Every year, 3 billion KRW is transferred from the county budget, and an additional 400 to 500 million KRW is raised annually through voluntary donations from residents and people originally from Haenam. As a result, the fund, which had remained around 10 billion KRW for over 20 years, increased significantly to 15.5 billion KRW in 2023, 19.4 billion KRW in 2024, and 22.8 billion KRW as of July this year.

Separately from the scholarship fund, the county is also carrying out various educational support projects through the Haenam County Education Foundation, established last year. These projects include selecting scholarship recipients, nurturing talent, fostering prestigious schools, and operating lifelong education programs.

County Governor Myung Hyun-gwan stated, "Raising a 50 billion KRW scholarship fund is about laying the foundation for Haenam's future, and it is progressing smoothly thanks to the active cooperation of residents and people from Haenam. With the launch of the education foundation and the designation of Haenam as a pilot area for the Ministry of Education's Special Education Development Zone, we are thoroughly preparing for the future of education in Haenam. We ask for your continued interest and support."