Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Wins Excellence Awards in Two Categories at the 2026 Korea Public PR Awards

내용

Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that the “Jagalchi-Boogi Package Collaboration” and “Sunlight Charging Station” campaigns each received an Excellence Award at the 2026 Korea Public PR Awards.

The Korea Public PR Awards, hosted by the Korean Association for Advertising and Public Relations and sponsored by the Korea Press Foundation, were established to identify and share outstanding public relations initiatives that strengthen communication capabilities in the public sector and contribute to the spread of social value. This year marked the 12th edition of the awards.

This year’s competition was open to public relations campaigns completed between January 2025 and May 2026.

The “Jagalchi-Boogi Package Collaboration,” which received an Excellence Award in the Local Government category, was a public-private collaboration campaign jointly carried out by Busan Metropolitan City, Lotte Shopping, and Nongshim. It brought together Boogi, Busan’s representative character, and Nongshim’s signature Jagalchi snack, named after Busan’s Jagalchi Market.

The campaign was designed to use the products and distribution networks of private companies to raise national awareness of a locally based municipal character, increase positive perceptions of Busan through the product, and ultimately encourage actual visits to the city.

In particular, Boogi was featured on Nongshim’s Jagalchi product in the snack brand’s first collaboration with an external character. A map highlighting major Busan attractions, including Jagalchi Market, Busan Concert Hall, and Domohun, was also printed on the back of the package, turning the product itself into a promotional medium for Busan tourism.

The campaign also combined online and offline promotional activities, including distribution through more than 100 Lotte Mart stores and more than 400 Lotte Super stores nationwide, wrapped Busan City Tour buses, an installation at Nampo Station, and outdoor advertising in Seoul and Busan. By leveraging private-sector product, distribution, and marketing resources, the campaign established a model for public-private promotional collaboration.

“Sunlight Charging Station,” which received an Excellence Award in the Public Crisis Management Communication category, was a citizen-participation campaign that connected the social message of suicide prevention with everyday self-care activities such as getting sunlight and taking walks.

Taking into account the daily movement patterns of its primary target group, senior citizens aged 65 and older, the campaign operated mobile pop-up stations for a total of 15 days at three everyday community locations, including Busan Jungang Park, Busan Citizens Park, and Oncheoncheon Stream. Along with opportunities to get sunlight and walk, the campaign provided mental health self-assessments and information on counseling services.

A total of 2,236 citizens visited the campaign sites, including 636 who completed mental health self-assessments. The assessments enabled the early identification of risk signs in 190 people, who were connected, when necessary, with professional organizations for assistance. In this way, the campaign expanded public relations into a practical point of contact for addressing social issues.

Winning awards in both categories is significant because it represents external recognition of Busan Metropolitan City’s citizen-centered public relations strategy. The strategy has combined private-sector resources with local content to promote Busan’s appeal nationwide while reaching citizens directly in their everyday lives to encourage participation and action.

City Spokesperson Oh Mi-kyung said, “These awards reflect the positive response to our efforts to move beyond conventional promotional approaches and actively make use of new points of contact, including corporate distribution networks and the everyday spaces where citizens live their lives. We will continue to develop new ways of communicating that connect policies and citizens more effectively and strengthen the competitiveness of Busan Metropolitan City’s public relations.”