Operation of Seodaemun-gu Resident Autonomy School to Revitalize Grassroots Autonomy

A total of 14 neighborhoods will hold four 6-hour sessions by mid-month... Aiming to launch each neighborhood's Residents' Autonomy Committee with a commissioning ceremony this December

Seodaemun-gu Hongje 2-dong Resident Autonomy School

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is conducting resident autonomy schools in each neighborhood to expand the Seoul-style Resident Autonomy Committee from the existing 5 pilot neighborhoods to all 14 neighborhoods.

The program consists of a total of 4 sessions over 6 hours: ▲Session 1: The flow and meaning of resident participation policies ▲Session 2: Understanding the Seoul-style Resident Autonomy Committee project ▲Session 3: Introduction of pilot neighborhood cases of Seodaemun Resident Autonomy Committee ▲Session 4: Roles of Resident Autonomy Committee members.

Experts such as research fellows from the Seoul Institute pre-record video lectures according to the topics, which applicants for the Resident Autonomy Committee watch at each neighborhood community center and autonomy hall.

For convenient attendance, lectures are scheduled and operated at various times including mornings, afternoons, evenings, and weekends until mid-month in each neighborhood.

Following these neighborhood courses, an integrated course for the entire district will be held on the 14th and 17th at the Seodaemun-gu Social Economy Village Autonomy Center (43 Susaek-ro).

The Seodaemun-gu Resident Autonomy School is conducted in compliance with social distancing rules such as wearing masks, hand sanitizing, and spacing between attendees to prevent COVID-19.

Upon completion, participants qualify to be selected as Resident Autonomy Committee members, and after a public lottery held in each neighborhood in November, they will be appointed as neighborhood Resident Autonomy Committee members with a two-year term in December.

One resident said, “At first, I did not really understand what resident autonomy was, but through the education, I realized that it is important to take an interest in village issues on my own.”

Other residents shared their thoughts, saying, “For resident autonomy activities, love and passion for the village seem to be most necessary,” and “I want to use this opportunity to communicate with neighbors and make our neighborhood a village where we want to live.”

The ‘Resident Autonomy Committee’ is a resident representative organization aimed at revitalizing grassroots autonomy and fostering democratic participation awareness, composed of up to 50 members per neighborhood, deciding and promoting various autonomy plans.

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