On September 6th, the North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province Office in Jeonju, South Korea, held an event called the 'Plaza of Meeting for Families of North Korean Defectors' and the '*Honorary Citizen Award Ceremony for Hamgyeong Province*' at the Partywon in Hyoja-dong, Jeonju.

At this event, around 50 North Korean defectors who had previously formed family ties with residents of North Jeolla Province attended, enjoying a warm exchange. Additionally, 18 prominent figures from the North Jeolla region were awarded the honorary citizenship of Hamgyeong Province in the North Korean region.

Particularly, Mayor Woo Beom-gi of Jeonju received the honorary citizenship award and expressed his thoughts, saying, "I will serve until the day of reunification, sharing the pain of North Korean defectors and North Jeolla residents."

The family connection program is a system that helps North Korean defectors who are settling in South Korean society to stabilize by interacting with North Jeolla residents as if they were family. Currently, there are approximately 130,000 North Jeolla residents living in the province.

Director Jo Seong-yul of the North Jeolla Office of the North 5 Provinces stated, "I thank the expatriates, North Korean defectors, and all the guests who joined us today," and added, "I deeply appreciate the participation of the second-term volunteer team leader, Kim Kwan-young, the wife of Governor Kim Gwan-young and a second-generation expatriate from Hwanghae Province."

Furthermore, the North Jeolla Office of the North 5 Provinces plans to continue various exchange programs in cooperation with the North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province in the second half of the year, including security exploration, longing festivals, reunification wish hometown meetings, and making unified kimchi.