Busan is good

A City of Happiness for Citizens, Built Together by the Public, Private and Academic Sectors: “Love Busan”

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it has successfully completed the “Love Busan” residential environment improvement project, which brought together a wide range of community stakeholders, including universities, businesses and welfare organizations, to transform the living spaces and daily lives of citizens in need.

“Love Busan” is a collaborative public-private-academic project that connects diverse expertise and resources within the local community to improve the residential environments of vulnerable households and shares the warmth of the community by documenting and communicating the moving process of transformation.

In particular, the project went beyond simply improving residential environments. It shared the stories of families in need and documented how the community came together with compassion to create meaningful change, adding significance as a public communication initiative aimed at promoting citizens’ well-being.

Launched for the first time last year, “Love Busan” improved the residential environments of two households of young adults preparing for independent living. Content documenting the transformations received more than 3 million cumulative views, drawing strong public interest and empathy.

Building on these achievements, Busan Metropolitan City expanded participation this year to universities, businesses and welfare organizations, developing the initiative into a mutually beneficial model that brings together the expertise and resources of participating institutions while broadening public understanding and support for the policy.

This year, Pusan National University, World Vision, the Community Chest of Korea, Saha-gu Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, JoongAng Engineering Co., Ltd., Ajeongdang and IKEA Korea joined the initiative and contributed their support.

Each participating organization pooled its expertise and resources to provide the beneficiary family with a more pleasant and comfortable living environment.

World Vision and Saha-gu Comprehensive Social Welfare Center were responsible for identifying the beneficiary household and providing follow-up support, while students from the Department of Interior Environmental Design at Pusan National University developed a customized spatial design.

JoongAng Engineering Co., Ltd. then donated KRW 10 million through the Community Chest of Korea to support the project, while Ajeongdang and IKEA Korea provided assistance with organization and storage as well as household items.

This year’s project was carried out over approximately three months beginning in June for one single-parent household in need of residential environment improvements.

The household had experienced significant difficulties in daily life due to belongings accumulated while caring for young children and insufficient storage space. With the mother unable to manage the task alone, outside assistance was urgently needed.

Busan Metropolitan City therefore transformed the home into a space suited to the daily needs of each family member through a series of steps including on-site visits and measurements, disinfection and improvements to the living environment, customized design planning, installation of furniture and household items, and organization and storage.

Rather than merely replacing outdated elements of the home, particular emphasis was placed on creating spaces where the family could study, talk and spend time together. Professional guidance will also continue to help the family develop effective organization and storage habits.

Upon seeing the completed space for the first time, the mother said, “As our home has changed so dramatically, it feels as though our family’s difficult daily life can begin anew and that we have found renewed motivation for life.”

She added, “Above all, I am happy that we now have a space where I can study and talk with my children, and I hope to create many good memories with them.”

Busan Metropolitan City documented the entire “Love Busan” process, from identifying the beneficiary household to completing the improvements, through video and photography. The material has been developed into content that will be released sequentially on the city’s official social media channels and YouTube beginning today, September 15.

Rather than simply presenting the completed space, the content will show how multiple organizations and citizens shared their respective expertise and resources to transform one family’s daily life, helping communicate the values of community collaboration and giving to the public.

Busan Metropolitan City Official Instagram: @busancity
Official YouTube Channel: @Busan_is_good

Busan Metropolitan City Spokesperson Oh Mi-kyung said, “‘Love Busan’ is a meaningful project in which multiple organizations bring together their expertise to give hope to one family and share that meaningful journey with citizens.”

She added, “We will continue to communicate city policies in ways that citizens can relate to and experience firsthand through diverse channels and innovative forms of collaboration.”