Busan is good

Busan City’s ‘ESG Travel Docent’ Project Wins Top Prize in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s New Senior Job Ideas Contest

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Mayor Park Heong-joon of Busan Metropolitan City announced that Busan received the Top Prize (Minister of Health and Welfare Award) for its ‘ESG Travel Docent’ project at the 2026 New Senior Job Ideas Contest hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The award ceremony took place on July 31 at Royal Hotel Seoul.

The contest aimed to discover creative job models suitable for seniors and beneficial to local communities. A total of 395 proposals were submitted by local governments and related organizations nationwide, indicating strong interest.

After two rounds of review by working-level officials and expert panels, 12 outstanding job ideas were selected, with Busan’s ‘ESG Travel Docent’ emerging as the only top prize winner among the 17 metropolitan and provincial governments.

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The ‘ESG Travel Docent’ is a senior-friendly job model proposed by Busan and co-developed with the Korea Tourism Organization in May 2025.

It is designed to utilize the social assets of older adults — including their personal experiences, work history, and knowledge — and aims to realize five key social values:

• ● Job creation for seniors

• ● Environmental protection

• ● Promotion of eco-friendly tourism culture

• ● Revitalization of the local economy

• ● Intergenerational connection

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< Overview of the ‘ESG Travel Docent’ >

• ●Definition: A new type of docent that combines tourism, history, and environmental education

• ●Role: Share stories about tourist attractions by incorporating local legends and personal experiences, and suggest eco-friendly alternatives for preserving these sites
  → Go beyond simple explanations by offering ESG-based insights and promoting sustainable tourism practices

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In June, Busan trained 45 ESG Travel Docents, who began working in elementary schools, kindergartens, and daycare centers as environmental education instructors from that month. The program combines travel with ESG-themed education and hands-on experiences.

Within just one month of operation, over 200 institutions applied to participate. As of the end of July, more than 1,000 children have taken part in the program.

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Busan plans to expand the scale of the program threefold by 2026 and create a total of 445 jobs by 2027 in continued collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization.

Furthermore, the ‘ESG Travel Docent’ will be operated as a pilot project under the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Senior Job Program in 2026, with the aim of refining and standardizing it for nationwide rollout.

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Director General of the Welfare Bureau, Jung Tae-gi, stated:

“This award is a meaningful recognition of Busan’s proactive efforts to empower the new senior generation and develop high-value, locally tailored jobs.
We will continue to expand sustainable senior jobs, foster policies that promote self-fulfillment, social value creation, and citizen welfare, and do our utmost to make Busan a happy and secure city.”

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Appendix 1. Related Photos

(Not included in this version)

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Appendix 2. Overview of the 2026 New Senior Job Ideas Contest and Awards

□ Process for Selecting New Senior Job Items (2026)

• 1.Application Period: May 9 (Fri) – June 12 (Thu), 2025

• ○395 items submitted by 196 organizations

• 2.First-round review: June 13 (Fri) – July 1 (Tue), 2025

• ○22 items selected by 21 organizations

• 3.Final expert review: July 2 (Wed) – July 8 (Tue), 2025

• ○12 items selected by 12 organizations

Awards:

Award	Organization	Project Title
Minister of Health and Welfare Award (Grand Prize)	Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs	Senior Rangers for Memorial Facilities
Minister of Health and Welfare Award (Excellence Award)	Busan Metropolitan City	ESG Travel Docent
〃	Korea Rehabilitation and Protection Agency	Senior Legal Counseling Team
Minister of Health and Welfare Award (Merit Award)	Neuyeong-Nayeong Welfare Community	Airport Drone Patrol: Sky Route Guardians
〃	Yeoju City Government	Senior Drivers for Transportation-Disadvantaged Citizens
〃	Korea Suicide Prevention Hope Foundation	Senior Building Safety Inspectors for Suicide Prevention
President of the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged Award	Gyeryong Senior Club	Green Mentors: Senior Plant Guardians
〃	Nonsan Senior Club	Tobacco-Free Helpers
〃	West Sea Fisheries Management Service	Senior Fishing Gear Recycling Supporters
〃	Yesan Senior Club	Used Hand Towel Recycling Project
〃	Wonju Senior Club	Picture Book Teaching Materials Production Team
〃	Imsil Senior Club	Foreign Seasonal Worker Monitoring Team

Award Ceremony Overview:

Category	Award Model Organizations	New Idea Organizations
Hosted by	Ministry of Health and Welfare / Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged
Attendees	50 (including 24 from 8 award model organizations, 36 from 12 new idea organizations, and 20 from 17 city/province governments)

Schedule (Total Duration: 150 minutes)

• ●10:30–11:00: Registration

• ●11:00–11:10: Opening remarks (Ministry of Health and Welfare), Congratulatory speech (Korea LFDA)

• ●11:10–11:30: Award ceremony

• ●11:30–12:10: Presentations by award-winning organizations

• ●12:10–13:30: Lunch and closing

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Appendix 3. ESG Travel Docent Program Summary

< What is the ‘ESG Travel Docent’? >

A senior-specialized job model where older adults guide visitors through local tourist attractions, blending personal storytelling with history and eco-conscious messaging.

□ Program Period: June–December 2025
□ ESG Scope: Combines “ESG + Tourism”
□ Operations: Environmental education, storytelling, hands-on activities
□ Future Expansion: 3x growth by 2026; 445 jobs by 2027
□ Training: 40 instructors completed 75 hours of certified training (Korea Tourism Organization certification)

Participating Senior Clubs and Contact Information:

Organization	Service Areas	Contact	Email
Buk-gu Senior Club	Seo-gu, Buk-gu, Saha-gu, Gangseo-gu, Sasang-gu	051-337-9331	bukgu9331@hanmail.net
Haeundae Senior Club	Nam-gu, Haeundae-gu, Suyeong-gu, Gijang-gun	051-784-9141	bhsc9141@hanmail.net
Geumjeong Senior Club	Jung-gu, Dong-gu, Yeongdo-gu, Busanjin-gu, Dongnae-gu, Yeonje-gu, Geumjeong-gu	051-516-3045	psgcsc@hanmail.net