Gwangju City Successfully Concludes Hope 2026 "Happy Gwangju Through Sharing" Public Broadcast Fundraising Event

On December 16, Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province successfully held the Hope 2026 "Happy Gwangju Through Sharing" public broadcast fundraising event at the multipurpose gymnasium on the 3rd floor of the Gwangju Sports Health Center.

Bong Se-hwan, Mayor of Gwangju, is donating money at the Hope 2026 'Happy Gwangju Through Sharing' public broadcast fundraising event held on the 3rd floor multipurpose gymnasium of Gwangju Sports Health Center on the 16th. Courtesy of Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province.

This event, held under the slogan "Hope 2026: Happy Gwangju Through Sharing," is Gwangju's representative community fundraising event, designed to promote a culture of sharing in the local community and support vulnerable groups. The program featured a combination of performances and donations, encouraging active participation.

More than 1,000 people attended the event, including Mayor Bang Se-hwan, heads of various institutions and organizations, local business representatives, and citizens, all coming together to share in the spirit of giving. The event included a variety of programs: commemorative performances in two parts by three performance teams; a joint donation ceremony involving eight local companies, institutions, and organizations; the "Field of Love Coins" with participation from three local daycare centers; on-site fundraising by city departments and town offices; the newly introduced "Donation Kiosk Challenge"; and an in-kind sharing of Gonjian Ox Head Soup provided by Samil Livestock System.

The commemorative performances featured baritone Park Kyungchan, who majored in piano for 16 years in Austria before expanding his career into vocal music upon returning to Korea; the Gwangju Aju Boys and Girls Choir, which has achieved outstanding results in national and international choral competitions; and singer Gyuri, who has been recognized for her talent on top-tier trot stages in Korea, all delivering deeply moving performances to the audience.

For the "Field of Love Coins," representatives from the public Little Fore Daycare Center, the private Baekma Daycare Center, and the home-based Noah Daycare Center participated by delivering coin banks, providing a meaningful opportunity for children to learn and practice the value of sharing from an early age.

During the joint donation ceremony, warm-hearted contributions poured in from all corners of the community: 30 million won from the Gwangju branches of Nonghyup (Gwangju, Gonjiam, Dochuk, Opo, Jungbu, Chowol, Toechon, and Gwangju District Livestock Nonghyup); 21 million won from the Gwangju City Waste Management Association (Gyeongan Environment, Gwangwoo Environment, Green Environment Industry, Songjeong Environmental Cleaning, Gwangju Environment, Jushin Environment, and Gwangnam Environment); 14.6 million won from the Gwangju Urban Management Corporation's Environmental Planning Team and companies such as Jumyung Development, Yujin Enterprise Gwangju, Mohyeon Stone Quarry, Dongbu C&C, Cheonji Industrial Development, Ewha Aggregate, and Hongseong Construction; 6 million won from the Korea Water Resources Corporation Gwangju Waterworks Branch; 4,000 packs of ramen (worth 3.2 million won) from Green Yard Co., Ltd.; 2.83 million won from Gonjiam Elementary School; 40 bags (40kg) of coffee beans (worth 2 million won) from Mienne Co., Ltd.; and 1 million won from Jin Youngsook Trot Makjangu Club, among many other generous donations from various sectors of the community.

Bong Se-hwan, Mayor of Gwangju, is delivering a greeting speech at the Hope 2026 "Happy Gwangju through Sharing" public broadcast fundraising event held on the 3rd floor multipurpose gymnasium of Gwangju Sports Health Center on the 16th. Photo by Gyeonggi Gwangju City

In particular, the newly introduced "Donation Kiosk Challenge" this year allowed on-site visitors to participate in donations quickly and conveniently through kiosks, presenting a donation method suited to the digital age and encouraging voluntary participation. In addition, the event atmosphere was further enhanced by the operation of a promotional booth featuring the Gwangju City characters "Greeni & Kreeni."

Mayor Bang Se-hwan stated, "I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the institutions, organizations, and citizens who contributed to the successful hosting of the Hope 2026 'Happy Gwangju Through Sharing' public broadcast fundraising event," and added, "I hope that all Gwangju citizens will leap forward energetically in 2026, the Year of the Red Horse."