Gwangju City Holds 56th Gwangju Citizens' Day Ceremony 'Gwangju521 Spring of Transition'

On the morning of the 21st, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended the 56th Gwangju Citizens' Day ceremony held at the City Hall Citizen Hall, performed a button-pressing performance toward the 'Jeonhwan Tower' with the attending guests and citizens, and then took a commemorative photo. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the morning of the 21st, Gwangju Metropolitan City held the 56th Gwangju Citizens' Day commemorative ceremony titled "Gwangju521 Spring of Transition" at the first-floor Citizen Hall of Gwangju City Hall, with about 200 participants including 50 on-site and 150 online, sharing the "Dream of Gwangju" with its citizens.

Originally, Gwangju celebrated Citizens' Day on November 1, but since 2010, it has designated May 21 as Gwangju Citizens' Day to commemorate the day when martial law troops withdrew and autonomy and self-governance were restored during the May 18 Democratic Movement in 1980.

The 56th Gwangju Citizens' Day commemorative ceremony focused on discussing "how to face the era of transition brought by COVID-19" and "what kind of future Gwangju is envisioning." The event was divided into two parts: Part 1 was a ceremony themed "Spring of Transition," and Part 2 was a dialogue with citizens under the theme "Square of Transition."

The ceremony opened with two first-grade elementary students who enrolled last year appearing on stage while conversing with the AI "Gwangju-type," symbolizing the future of Gwangju's children who need comfort and encouragement amid COVID-19.

Following the opening, the program proceeded with the opening remarks, video congratulatory messages, the 2021 Citizen Awards ceremony, and a performance titled "Gwangju-type Heungbu," followed by Part 2, a citizen dialogue under the theme "Square of Transition."

Notably, Kim Yong-jip, Chairperson of Gwangju City Council; Jang Hwi-guk, Superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education; Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu; and Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam, congratulated Gwangju Citizens' Day through video messages.

At the Gwangju Citizen Awards ceremony, six individuals were honored with the prestigious Citizen Award across five fields: social service, academics, culture and arts, sports, and regional economic promotion.

Next, "Gwangju-type Heungbujeon," a story featuring the fairy tale character Heungbu with keywords of justice, abundance, transition, and multiple children, unfolded to narrate Gwangju's past and future.

The "Gwangju-type Heungbujeon," performed through a combination of video and stage, creatively blended various art genres such as theater, pansori, and tap dance, making it engaging.

In particular, Mayor Lee Yong-seop appeared midway on stage, opening three chests containing innovation, communication, and the dream of Gwangju, sharing stories about city administration and Gwangju's aspirations, drawing attention.

The mayor opened the first chest, "Innovation," explaining, "Through 'innovative administration,' a core value of the 7th elected Gwangju administration, we are preparing Gwangju's future with Gwangju-type jobs, an AI-centered city, and climate crisis response."

In the second chest, "Communication," he shared achievements such as resolving the 17-year conflict over the city subway Line 2 through citizen public discussion, the successful hosting of the Gwangju World Swimming Championships, spreading the history of May, activating the COVID-19 public-private joint countermeasures committee, promoting private park special projects through public-private governance, designating Jangnok Wetland as a national wetland, and preventing reckless development of Mudeungsan Mountain.

In the third chest, "Dream of Gwangju," he introduced efforts to address the serious social issue of low birth rates by actively creating a "Gwangju good for having and raising children," providing 5.8 million KRW in birth congratulatory money and support per child, 24-hour emergency child care, inpatient child care, postpartum care services, and various policies supporting marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and education. He emphasized, "Our earnest dream is to make Gwangju a city where young people return and visit, overcoming the hardships and lack of jobs that have caused youth to leave."

Then, as attendees and citizens pressed a button toward the "Tower of Transition," messages proposed by citizens through the Gwangju Baro Communication platform were displayed.

Part 2, the dialogue with citizens under the theme "Square of Transition," involved 150 citizen participants?50 offline and 100 online?comprising diverse social classes and generations, selected through prior application and recommendation.

Citizens candidly shared their feelings, difficulties, and expectations for local government while living through the COVID-19 era with Mayor Lee Yong-seop, offering mutual comfort, encouragement, and empathy.

Archery athlete Ki Bo-bae expressed challenges in maintaining performance and training, while Kang Sun-hwa, CEO of ecological environment organization "Undonghwa," proposed expanding bicycle-only roads and requested unification of recycling separation standards.

Volunteer Seo Ki-su shared the fulfillment of COVID-19 prevention volunteer activities, and Chief Nurse Joo Sun-ok of Chosun University Hospital shared the hardships and rewards experienced by medical staff on the front lines.

Additionally, citizens discussed youth debt issues, changes in work environments such as telecommuting and online meetings, interest in school zone child protection areas, and expressed gratitude for Gwangju City's bus disinfection and small business support measures.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, "I extend my deep condolences to citizens exhausted and economically struggling due to COVID-19," adding, "In this era of rapid transition, Gwangju City will firmly build the future of Gwangju through Gwangju-type jobs, an AI-centered city, and climate crisis response together with citizens, making Gwangju a city good for having and raising children and a city where young people return."

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