The Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Journalists Association (President Park Jae-hong) selected Banghee Lee, Deputy Managing Editor and Head of the 2nd Social Affairs Department of Jeonbuk Domin Ilbo (Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Class of 1984), and Sang-yun Lee, Director of Broadcasting at JTV Jeonju Broadcasting (Spanish Language & Literature, Class of 1987), as the recipients of the 2022 JBNU Journalists Award, which is presented to alumni journalists who have practiced principled and courageous reporting.

In addition, the Service Award, presented to journalists who have contributed to the development of the university, was awarded to Choi Soo-hak, Head of the Honam Bureau of The Hankook Ilbo, and Lim Hong-jin, Director of News Programming at Jeonju MBC.

JBNU held the JBNU Journalists Award ceremony on January 25 at 4:00 PM in the President’s Office. President Kim Dong-won and other senior university officials attended the ceremony, along with Park Jae-hong, president of the JBNU Journalists Association, and the award recipients.

The awardees were recognized for long-term dedication to journalism and for practicing principled reporting. As alumni journalists of JBNU, they have embodied the university’s spirit of "freedom," "justice," and "creativity," contributing to the development of both the local community and the nation.

Deputy Managing Editor Banghee Lee, who has worked in journalism for more than 30 years, led a planning series as political editor titled "Recovering Jeonbuk’s Pride," which helped reestablish the history of the Jeonbuk Gaya period and clarify the status of Later Baekje. His planned coverage of the Jeonbuk Residents Association in Seoul strengthened pride and ties among Jeonbuk natives living outside the region. Notably, he served as secretary of the JBNU Journalists Association for seven years, leaving a significant legacy in the association’s development.

Director Sang-yun Lee of JTV recently organized a campaign proposed by JTV that became a national issue: urging local election candidates not to hang illegal campaign banners. His series of reports on poor loan practices at regional agricultural cooperatives prompted improvements in local financial institutions’ lending systems and related regulations. He also produced a two-year program promoting Iksan as a city of longevity, which helped foster local pride.

Service Award recipients Choi Soo-hak, Head of the Jeonbuk Bureau of The Hankook Ilbo, and Lim Hong-jin, Director of News Programming at Jeonju MBC, were recognized for their consistent efforts in the field to fulfill the public’s right to know and to propose various local solutions.

President Kim Dong-won said, "I offer my congratulations and thanks to our alumni journalists who have worked to uphold principled reporting and to advance their alma mater despite the difficulties posed by COVID-19. I hope our alumni journalists will continue to serve as a bridge between Jeonbuk National University, a national flagship university, and the local community, and that you will pool your strength and wisdom to that end."