The Rural Renaissance Hope Foundation (President Kim Kyung-hwan) recently held the '2025 3rd Park Deok-jun Agricultural Award Ceremony' at the aT Center in Seocho District, Seoul, presenting awards and a total of 23 million won in prize money to 11 recipients, including 2 Excellence Awards, 4 Commendation Awards, and 5 Technology Awards.
The Excellence Awards went to Kim Myeong-seong, who practices low-carbon rice farming in Sejong City, and Kim Won-su, who cultivates medicinal crops such as Eupatorium fortunei in Dalseong County, Daegu. The Commendation Awards were received by farmers Nam Yeong-guk (Yeongyang, Gyeongbuk), Chae Won-jun (Jindo, Jeonnam), Yun Yeong-gyu (Buk-gu, Ulsan), and Kang Gyeong-seok (Jeju City, Jeju). The Technology Awards were given to farmers Seo Won-hong (Hamyang, Gyeongnam), Lee Ju-hyun (Cheongju, Chungbuk), Kim Beom-jin (Cheonan, Chungnam), Yang Hwan-uk (Sunchang, Jeonbuk), and Go Cheol-sun, the team leader of the Yangyang County Agricultural Technology Center in Gangwon.
The Park Deok-jun Agricultural Award was established in 2023 in accordance with the wishes of the late Chairman Park Deok-jun of Taehwa G&G (formerly Taehwa Malpyo Shoes), who had a deep affection for agriculture. Since the establishment of the National Agricultural Technologists Association in 1963, Chairman Park had been supporting leading farmers, and in 2015, he donated 1.8 billion won to establish the Rural Renaissance Hope Foundation to support agricultural and rural development.
Reporter hdaej@nongmin.com from Kimhae University