Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City to Host the 22nd Busan Self-Sufficiency Festival

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, in collaboration with the Busan Association of Self-Sufficiency Centers (President Lee Seon-ju), it will host the 22nd Busan Self-Sufficiency Festival today (October 20) at 2:00 p.m. at KBS Busan Hall.

The Busan Self-Sufficiency Festival serves as a celebration for Busan’s self-sufficiency community and as a platform for communication and solidarity among participants of self-sufficiency programs. The event has contributed to inspiring the participants’ motivation for work and self-reliance while fostering a sense of unity through positive relationships among members.

This year’s festival will gather about 1,600 attendees, including self-sufficiency participants and local self-sufficiency center staff. The event will consist of two parts: Part 1, a commemorative ceremony, and Part 2, a cultural performance.

The commemorative ceremony will open with a declaration and include awards for individuals who have contributed to self-sufficiency projects, including commendations from the Mayor of Busan, the President of the Korea Association of Self-Sufficiency Centers, and the President of the Busan Association of Self-Sufficiency Centers. Following the ceremony, cultural performances such as popera* and magic shows, as well as a prize drawing, will take place.
*Popera: A genre that blends the melodies of opera with popular music styles.

The self-sufficiency project is designed to help low-income individuals with work ability achieve economic independence by cultivating self-sufficiency skills, providing training, and offering employment opportunities. Currently, Busan operates one metropolitan self-sufficiency center and 18 local centers.

In June of this year, Busan became the first city in the nation to launch the Busan Self-Sufficiency Innovation Project “ALL-LIVE.” The project introduces a system in which participants engage in production, consumption, and support directly—creating a virtuous cycle where “good rewards” return to the community through spending.

Through this program, the city provides each participant with 100,000 KRW worth of points that can be used to purchase self-sufficiency products and services at ALL-LIVE Market, one of the project’s business venues.

This system empowers participants not merely as beneficiaries of government policy but as active agents practicing ethical consumption, thereby fostering pride and ownership.

Jeong Tae-gi, Director General of the Social Welfare Bureau, stated, “We hope this Self-Sufficiency Festival will serve as a meaningful occasion to strengthen the sense of community between participants and local self-sufficiency centers,” adding, “Busan Metropolitan City will continue to provide systematic and sustainable support services for low-income individuals with work capability and strive to create diverse self-sufficiency projects.”