KB Financial Group wins top prize at Korea JoongAng Daily Advertisement Awards

KB Financial Group won the top prize at the Korea JoongAng Daily Advertisement Awards for its community-focused campaign. Other notable winners included Wonju City Government and KHNP, recognized for their impactful ads.

Participants of the 60th JoongAng Advertising Awards pose for a photo at the Westin Josun Seoul in central Seoul on Thursday. Korea JoongAng Daily and JoongAng Ilbo CEO Park Chang-hee, fifth from left in the front row, Professor Lee Myoung-chun from Chung-Ang University's Department of Advertising and Public Relations who headed the judge panel, sixth from left in the front row, pose with the awardees including Park Jin-young, chief public relation officer at the KB Financial Group, second from left in the front row, and Kim Cheol-woong, head of Wonju City Government’s strategic public relations team, second from left in the second row. [PARK SANG-MOON]

KB Financial Group took home the top prize at the annual Advertisement Awards from the Korea JoongAng Daily for its campaign concentrated on contributing to communities with financial aid to small businesses and efforts to tackle the country's low fertility rate.

The award ceremony, which reached its 60th this year as part of the JoongAng Advertising Awards, annually selects the best print ads published in the Korea JoongAng Daily, JoongAng Ilbo and JoongAng Sunday.

A total of 23 awards were given out by the three publications on Thursday, with the Korea JoongAng Daily selecting print ads from three companies: KB Financial Group, Wonju City Government, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).

The results are based on assessments from a panel of five judges headed by Professor Lee Myoung-chun from Chung-Ang University's Department of Advertising and Public Relations alongside an online survey of more than 1,000 readers.

KB Financial Group won the top grand prize for its ad featuring actor Park Eun-bin promoting the “People together Project” campaign, which has given financial aid to 60 selected small restaurants that offer customers a hearty meal at affordable prices, despite inflation.

Korea JoongAng Daily Chief Operating Officer Kweon Hyuk-joo takes a photo with the awardees of its annual Advertising Awards, from second from left, Park Jin-young, chief public relation officer at the KB Financial Group, Kim Cheol-woong, head of Wonju City Government's strategic public relations team, and Song Eun-gyun, general manager at the public relations planning and corporate communication bureau at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, at the ceremony held at Westin Josun Seoul in central Seoul on Thursday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

The project also runs a caregiver program to increase the number of dolbom workers, which roughly translates to caregivers, for kindergarten and elementary school students in a move to fix the country's low fertility rate by providing a better environment to raise children.

Jointly with the Education Ministry, KB Financial Group has established a total of 2,265 public kindergartens and dolbom classes since 2018 and is scheduled to create 48 dolbom centers by 2027.

“The awarded advertisement was created with our goal of delivering hopeful messages to the public in this time of difficulty,” said Park Jin-young, chief public relation officer at the financial group, adding that it is “honored to receive the advertisement award from the Korea JoongAng Daily."

The platinum prize went to the Wonju City Government-made advertisement “Autumn, A thousand years of changing colors” picturing a Bangye-ri giant ginkgo tree believed to be 860-year-old planted in Munmak, Wonju in Gangwon. As one of the most popular arboreal attractions, the giant tree is 32 meters (105 feet) tall and is the country’s No. 167 natural monument, as designated by the Korea Heritage Service.

“Wonju’s Bangye-ri giant ginkgo tree has attracted many foreign tourists, and the latest advertisement was made with our wishes to be a chance to spread Korea’s heritage to the world,” said Kim Cheol-woong, head of Wonju City’s strategic public relations team.

KHNP snatched the gold prize for “Energy Up, Tomorrow,” showing its ongoing business plans to reduce its carbon footprint.

“The advertisement comprehensively presents KHNP’s future strategy including the APR1400 nuclear reactor, small modular reactors and our goal of producing hydrogen,” said Song Eun-gyun, general manager at the public relations planning and corporate communication bureau at KHNP.

The Czech government, in July, selected a KHNP-led consortium as the preferred bidder for an estimated 24 trillion won ($17 billion) project to build two nuclear reactors in Dukovany.

The awards ceremony was held at the Westin Josun Seoul in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday, with the Korea JoongAng Daily and JoongAng Ilbo CEO Park Chang-hee and JoongAng Sunday CEO Shin Yong-ho in attendance.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]