Interior ministry names 31 public-interest programs in first impact awards

The interior ministry said Wednesday it selected and awarded 31 public-interest programs at its first Public Interest Activity Impact Awards, drawing 68 submissions across fields including social welfare, international development, culture and arts, education, giving, and volunteering.

Twenty of the programs received ministerial awards and 11 received awards from private organizations. The ceremony and an accompanying sharing conference were held at the Grand Ballroom of the FKI Tower, co-hosted by the ministry with the Korea Charity Association, the Korea Volunteer Council and The Better Future.

Among the recognized programs is World Vision's Dream Support Project for Children, which has provided career and independent-living support for more than eight years; the Korean Central Medical Service Association's Rural Village Bus, which brings medical staff directly to rural residents; and ChildFund Korea's Child Leader program, which supports education and training costs and mentoring and produced fencing gold medalist Park Sang-young.

The Heart-Heart Foundation was recognized for a music festival for people with developmental disabilities that has drawn about 3,300 cumulative participants, and SK hynix for converting unused public facilities into AI and digital education spaces.

"The Republic of Korea Public Interest Activity Impact Awards, held for the first time this year, is a meaningful event created to support the public-interest activities of companies and organizations that practice social values and a culture of sharing, so that they are widely known to the public and can continue in other regions and fields," Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung said.

Yoon added that the ministry will continue to actively discover and spread public-interest activities that are of practical help to people's lives and serve as examples to society.

In the afternoon, following the awards ceremony, the ministry held a Public Interest Activity Impact Conference, where 25 cases across five fields were presented, including Good Neighbors' Hope Letter Writing Contest and the Milal Welfare Foundation's tailored education program for children with visual and hearing disabilities. A special lecture on AI and public-interest activities was also held.