Kim Dong-yeon: "Gyeonggi Province with 4.22 Million Volunteers Becoming a Humane Society"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon said, "With 4.22 million volunteers, Gyeonggi Province is becoming a humane society."

Governor Kim made these remarks on the 17th at the '2025 Gyeonggi Province Volunteer Awards Ceremony' hosted by the Gyeonggi Province Volunteer Center at SINTEX in Hwaseong, stating, "This represents 30% of Gyeonggi Province's population. With the hearts of 14.2 million Gyeonggi residents, I extend my deepest gratitude to these volunteers."

He continued, "Volunteering seems to have an addictive quality—once you do it, you keep coming back. And it seems to have a contagious nature, inspiring those around you to volunteer as well. When I entered earlier, at one booth they asked me to describe my feelings about volunteering in one word, and without hesitation, I wrote 'addiction.' The 4.22 million volunteers of Gyeonggi Province are excellent individuals who have become addicted to volunteering themselves and are spreading this contagion to those around them."

Governor Kim stated, "(Gyeonggi Province volunteers) rushed to help not just within Gyeonggi Province, but wherever help was needed. In March, they went to the Pocheon Air Force friendly fire accident site and the Andong forest fire site, and in April, to the Sinansan Line collapse accident and other places, doing their best wherever they could." He added, "Gyeonggi Province will also expand various projects for our volunteers and spare no effort in providing all possible support. This year, we will increase the volunteer organization project recruitment scale from 340 to 390, an increase of 15%."

He further emphasized, "Through these efforts, I hope we can all join forces to make Gyeonggi Province a warm place where people live with dignity. Let us all sincerely commit ourselves to making Gyeonggi Province a warm and humane society."

At the event, Governor Kim personally introduced special volunteers including Kim Yun-ju, newly selected as 'Dozabong-i' (newly designated volunteer with 20,000+ cumulative service hours), and 93-year-old Jung Hwa-il, the oldest volunteer selected as 'Eunjabong-i' (volunteer with 10,000+ hours).

Kim Yun-ju, an education instructor from Anyang City newly selected as 'Dozabong-i,' has served as a role model by providing 20 years of tutoring volunteering to low-income children at small libraries and community children's centers. Jung Hwa-il is a 6.25 Korean War veteran who conducts volunteer activities in Suwon City, including meal services for vulnerable populations and welfare facility support.

This awards ceremony was organized to encourage and commemorate the dedication and efforts of volunteers. It was planned ahead of Volunteer Day's official commemoration date (December 5th) to create a festival-like atmosphere bringing together more volunteers.

Held under the slogan 'We Remember Volunteers Every Day, Every Moment,' the event consisted of △awarding Gyeonggi Province Governor certification plaques to newly designated Dozabong-i (volunteers with 20,000+ hours) and volunteers with 5,000 or more service hours △an exhibition hall with various experiential booths promoting the value of volunteering △congratulatory performances, serving as an occasion to honor the noble volunteer spirit of volunteers throughout the province and express gratitude.

Gyeonggi Province annually selects volunteers with 100 or more hours in the previous year or 5,000 or more cumulative hours as outstanding volunteers, designating them as 'Do-, Geum-, Eun-, and Dongabong-i,' and this year a total of 32,262 volunteers were selected. Outstanding volunteers receive various benefits including issuance of volunteer certificates, discounts at affiliated stores, overseas training opportunities, and presentation of outstanding volunteer certification plaques.

Meanwhile, the event was attended by some 1,200 people including Governor Kim, Lim Sang-o, chairman of the Gyeonggi Province Council's Committee on Safety and Administration, Yoon Bong-nam, president of the Gyeonggi Province Volunteer Center, outstanding volunteers from the province, and officials from city and county volunteer centers.