Busan is good

“Whispering Stories of Busan!” Launch of Children's Newspaper Big Eye DoranDoran

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) has announced the publication of the first issue of Big Eye DoranDoran, a participatory newspaper designed to convey local stories and municipal policies through the eyes of children. The newspaper will be distributed starting today (June 26) to various facilities related to children.

The title Big Eye DoranDoran combines “BIG,” an acronym for “Busan is Good,” and “DoranDoran,” a Korean expression for chatting softly and warmly. The name reflects the goal of sharing Busan’s good news through the curious gaze and kind voices of children as they explore and converse about the world.

Planned and published by the city, Big Eye DoranDoran is aimed at elementary students in grades 3 to 6. It features articles written by child reporters who directly covered major Busan policy sites and cultural venues.

Notably, the articles were written by 204 members of the 1st Busan Children’s Press Corps – nicknamed Kkobugi-dan, who were recruited in March and began activities in May. These young reporters brought their authentic voices and vivid on-site reports to the paper.

The inaugural issue includes coverage of the Kkobugi-dan inauguration ceremony held on June 14 at Busan City Hall. It also features a variety of cultural experiences, such as:

• ●A visit to the Busan Concert Hall and Busan Modern & Contemporary History Museum

• ●A firsthand account of a Lotte Giants baseball game

• ●Coverage of the Busan International Performing Arts Festival

The front cover is adorned with A Voyage to the New Classic, an artwork by Shin Sang-heon (5th grade, Millak Elementary School), who won first prize in the cover illustration contest.

The issue also includes child reporters’ creative policy suggestions for Busan, NIE (Newspaper in Education) materials, comics (webtoons), word puzzles, and other fun and educational content.

Additionally, readers can directly participate through features such as word quizzes, reader engagement events, and a cover contest for the next issue. Prizes will be awarded to selected participants through a lottery.

To ensure that every 3rd to 6th grade elementary school student in Busan can access the newspaper, the city will print 110,000 copies and distribute them to local schools, children’s cultural complexes such as DeullakNallak, and libraries throughout Busan.

The online version of the newspaper is available on the Busan Children’s Newspaper website (www.busan.go.kr/kids), where readers can also enjoy more articles by the child reporters.

Park Gwang-myeong, the City Spokesperson, stated, “Big Eye DoranDoran is both an educational and communal platform where children, as reporters, explore their communities and develop a sense of pride through sharing their articles.” He added, “We hope the quarterly publication will help children gain a deeper understanding and affection for Busan.”

The second and third issues are scheduled for publication in September and December, respectively. The next cover contest will take place from July 21 to 28. Further details will be available in the announcements section of the Busan Children’s Newspaper website.