Donated Official Overseas Travel Miles for Social Good: Daily Necessities Provided to Vulnerable Groups
83 Participants Including Mayor Lee Kangdeok
Daily Necessities Delivered to Food Market and Welfare Centers
On December 23, Pohang City held a donation ceremony in the main conference room of City Hall, utilizing public officials' earned airline mileage to deliver daily necessities to vulnerable groups in the region.
On the 23rd, Pohang City held a donation ceremony at City Hall using public officials' earned airline miles to deliver daily necessities for vulnerable groups in the region. Photo by Pohang City
Public airline mileage refers to points accumulated when purchasing airline tickets with government or local government budgets for official overseas business trips and other work-related travel. Since personal use is restricted, there has been ongoing discussion about ways to utilize these miles for social good.
Pohang City promoted this donation as part of its year-end social contribution activities. A total of 83 people participated voluntarily, including those whose miles were set to expire this year, employees scheduled to retire within the next five years, and other staff members holding public airline mileage.
The total amount of mileage donated was 11,705,200 miles (worth approximately 17 million won), which was exchanged for 250 sets of six types of daily necessities, including instant noodles and toilet paper. These items will be distributed to vulnerable groups in the region through the Pohang Food Market and five welfare centers within Pohang City.
In 2024, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of Korea established an "Improvement Plan for the Efficient Use of Public Airline Mileage," recommending that each institution use airline miles accumulated for official purposes, such as business trips, for public benefit, including supporting social welfare facilities.
In line with this recommendation, Pohang City undertook institutional review and internal discussions, and for the first time this year, promoted the donation initiative.
Shin Insook, Director of the Pohang Food Market, expressed gratitude, saying, "I am thankful for this meaningful act of sharing, where public officials are using public resources to help their neighbors."
On behalf of Pohang City employees, Mayor Lee Kangdeok delivered the donated goods and said, "It is even more meaningful because we can enhance administrative efficiency while practicing warm sharing. We will continue to ensure that citizens' taxes and public resources are used even more valuably in the future."
Pohang City plans to use this case as an opportunity to continuously review systematic management and public interest utilization of public airline mileage, thereby promoting the social return of public resources and the spread of a culture of sharing.
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