Among return gifts for the Hometown Love Donation program in the Daejeon area, Sungsimdang products ranked as the most popular for the third straight year.
According to the Daejeon city government on the 20th, since the Hometown Love Donation program began in 2023, Sungsimdang gift certificates and related products such as bread have kept the No. 1 spot among Daejeon return gifts each year.
In the first year, 2023, Sungsimdang pound cake was chosen the most with 276 orders totaling 82 million won. It accounted for 32% of all return gifts by count and 30% by amount.
In 2024, Sungsimdang gift certificates ranked first with 2,847 orders totaling 86 million won. Combining the No. 2 Sungsimdang pound cake, the total reached 3,732 orders and 1.13 billion won, amounting to 64% of all return gifts by count.
Last year as well, Sungsimdang gift certificates were the most popular with 6,232 orders totaling 188 million won. All Sungsimdang products, including pound cake and choco pound cake, totaled 10,094 orders and 3.04 billion won, accounting for 57% of all return gifts.
Buoyed by Sungsimdang's popularity, Daejeon's Hometown Love Donation results also grew quickly. The number of donations jumped from 1,484 in 2023 to 6,877 in 2024 and 18,472 last year, increasing more than twelvefold in three years. During the same period, the donation amount rose from 1.22 billion won to 6.86 billion won and 18.4 billion won.
The Hometown Love Donation program allows individuals to donate to a local government outside their registered address and receive return gifts worth up to 30% of the donation amount along with a tax credit.