The Hometown Love Donation System, now in its third year, has surpassed a cumulative donation amount of 100 billion KRW this year. With the tax deduction rate for donations set to expand next year, participation in the Hometown Love Donation is expected to increase further. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 16th that the cumulative donation amount for the Hometown Love Donation as of December 15th, 2025, has exceeded 100 billion KRW.
In the first year of the Hometown Love Donation System in 2023, 65.1 billion KRW was raised, and 87.9 billion KRW in 2024. This year, as of December 9th, the amount has already surpassed last year’s performance. The Hometown Love Donation System was introduced to address the crisis of local extinction, allowing individuals to donate to local governments outside their residence and receive tax deductions and return gifts. The donations are used for projects to improve residents’ welfare and revitalize the region.
The increase in donations this year is attributed to the voluntary participation of the public and efforts to activate the system. Notably, donations were concentrated in eight areas designated as special disaster zones due to wildfires in March, significantly increasing the amount raised in March and April. The combined donation amount for March and April this year was 18.4 billion KRW, about 2.3 times higher than the same period last year (7.9 billion KRW).
To promote donations to special disaster areas, the government revised related laws in March this year, expanding the tax deduction rate for donations exceeding 100,000 KRW from 16.5% to 33% within three months of declaring a special disaster area. The proportion of donations through private platforms also increased significantly from 7.1% last year to 21.9% this year, with the addition of three new platforms: Nonghyup Bank, Wello, and Cherry, improving accessibility for donations.