Kim Siduk, Kim Deokyong, Lee Hyunju, and Kim Seontae Selected for Seongnam City Culture Award

Four Categories: Academic, Arts, Education, and Sports

Awards to Be Presented at Citizens' Day Ceremony on October 6

Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor: Shin Sang-jin), announced on September 30 that it has selected four recipients for this year's Culture Award: Kim Siduk, Professor at Eulji University; Kim Deok-yong, artist; Lee Hyunju, CEO of Einsbaum Social Cooperative; and Kim Seontae, coach of the Seongnam City Hall skating team.

Four recipients of the 34th Seongnam City Cultural Awards in the categories of 'Academic, Arts, Education, and Sports'. Provided by Seongnam City

The city recently held the 34th Culture Award review committee, where winners were determined in the academic, arts, education, and sports categories.

Kim Siduk (aged 64), winner in the academic category, is a professor in the Department of Funeral Services at Eulji University. He published five papers addressing the modern transformation of funeral culture in academic journals listed in the Korean Citation Index (KCI). He has also participated in lectures for the Seongnam Studies Academy and contributed to academic activities related to funeral culture, while recording local traditional culture as a writer for the folk section of the 'Seongnam History', published in celebration of Seongnam City's 50th anniversary.

In the arts category, Kim Deok-yong (aged 65) is an artist who has expressed Korean aesthetics in a modern way using traditional materials such as wood and mother-of-pearl. He has participated in exhibitions and art fairs both in Korea and abroad, and his works are housed in the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Seoul Museum of Art, among others. This year, he held a solo exhibition at the Seongnam Cube Art Museum.

In the education category, Lee Hyunju (aged 51) was recognized for supporting music education and orchestra activities for students with developmental disabilities. She has been dedicated to founding orchestras for those with developmental disabilities and promoting career and vocation pathways for artists with disabilities. By participating in the Malaysia International Marching Arts Championship (MIMAC) this year and winning two silver medals, she has contributed to expanding cultural and artistic activities for people with disabilities.

In the sports category, Kim Seontae (aged 50) has been coaching athletes since his appointment as coach of the Seongnam City Hall skating team in 2023. He was recognized for his contributions to the outstanding achievements of national team athletes from Seongnam City Hall at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games and the 2026 Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

The award ceremony will take place on October 6 at the Seongnam Arts Center during the ceremony commemorating the 53rd Citizens' Day. The awardees will receive a plaque on behalf of the mayor of Seongnam City.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.