Kim Sam-ho, Mayor of Gwangsan District, Gwangju, and Assemblywoman Jo Young-im Receive 'Excellence Award' in Local Politics Awards

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Samho, Mayor of Gwangsan District, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Jo Youngim, Councilor of Gwangsan District Council, Gwangju Metropolitan City, were honored with the ‘Excellence Award’ in the fields of local autonomy and administrative innovation, respectively, at the 2020 Governance Local Politics Awards.

According to Gwangsan District, Gwangju, on the 25th, the ‘Governance Local Politics Awards,’ hosted by the Governance Center (formerly the Public-Private Cooperation Forum) and supported by the Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy, is a nationwide contest held annually targeting local government heads and local councilors across the country. It aims to discover, disseminate, and expand proper local autonomy activities based on the governance paradigm of resident participation and partnership in five areas including ‘expansion of resident convenience.’

Mayor Kim of Gwangsan District was highly evaluated for expanding resident participation and regional diversity through operating a two-way communication type participatory budget school, expanding the total budget system of the residents’ autonomy council where residents directly participate from policy planning to budget allocation and execution, and implementing various scales and forms of village public project contests such as village activity supporter training, club-type, apartment-type, and village agenda-type. He was also recognized for efforts to secure regional competitiveness, the foundation of local autonomy, by establishing the Corporate Doctor Center, an intermediary support organization for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners.

Councilor Jo was highly evaluated for efforts to form cooperative governance such as the ‘Ordinance on the Pilot Implementation and Installation and Operation of Gwangsan District Residents’ Autonomy Council’ to strengthen residents’ autonomy capabilities, monitoring activities to resolve odor complaints in Hanam Industrial Complex, and public-private meetings.

She was also recognized for efforts to improve residents’ autonomy capabilities and establish a support system through five-minute speeches and municipal questions proposing the training of village activists and formation of councils, construction of a new government office building reflecting the characteristics of residents’ autonomy activity spaces, creating conditions to revitalize youth autonomy activities, and establishing a gender expert approval routing system.

Mayor Kim of Gwangsan District said, “The goal of local administration in the era of local autonomy is to create a warm autonomous community through various programs and activities,” and added, “We will take the lead in opening a ‘citizen-happy local autonomy era’ based on the governance paradigm to gain agreement that citizens are very satisfied living in this area.”

Councilor Jo said, “It seems that the efforts made by walking around to complete a sustainable village community have been well evaluated,” and added, “Above all, I believe that through cooperation with related parties and residents, we have laid the foundation for governance that can continue in the future by solving local problems.”

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