Gwangju City Trains 'Resident Reconciliation Supporters' to Resolve Neighbor Conflicts Independently

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 20th that it conducted the ‘Resident Reconciliation Supporter Training’ from the 10th to the 19th to help residents resolve various neighborhood conflicts on their own, successfully training 76 people.

Resident reconciliation supporters are citizen volunteers who assist both parties involved in disputes that have applied for reconciliation support, aiming to resolve conflicts between neighbors through dialogue and compromise.

This training was conducted for citizens who wish to become resident reconciliation supporters, combining non-face-to-face online theoretical education with face-to-face practical training.

The basic curriculum included ▲recognition of roles as resident reconciliation supporters ▲causes of disputes and resolution techniques ▲sharing cases of communication room operations.

Those who complete the training will act as mediators helping to resolve neighborhood conflicts in communication rooms across various regions.

Additionally, starting next month, the Village Dispute Resolution Center plans to hold advanced training courses and capacity-building workshops for these supporters to further enhance their skills.

Meanwhile, the Gwangju Village Dispute Resolution Center was established to help resolve disputes and conflicts occurring within villages through community discussions and coordination.

It has been operated by Gwangju City since 2015 as the first nationwide initiative, in cooperation with the Gwangju District Court, legal professional organizations, and Chonnam National University Law School.

From this year, it has expanded to six locations including the city and five autonomous districts, playing a significant role in resolving village conflicts along with 43 communication rooms.

From 2015 until June of this year, the Gwangju Village Dispute Resolution Center and communication rooms have received a total of 1,645 resident conflict cases, including ▲480 cases of noise between floors ▲156 cases of water leakage ▲142 cases involving pets ▲78 cases of smoking between floors ▲73 parking issues, resolving 1,365 cases (83%).

Kim Ji-hwan, Director of the City’s Autonomous Administration Division, said, “The Gwangju Village Dispute Resolution Center is a system that allows residents to resolve disputes on their own, reducing excessive social costs caused by legal disputes. We ask for the active interest and participation of citizens to help it thrive.”

For detailed information about the resident reconciliation supporter training, contact the Gwangju Metropolitan City Urban Regeneration Community Center, and for reconciliation support applications regarding neighborhood conflicts, contact the Village Dispute Resolution Center in each autonomous district.

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