What Is the Secret Behind Seoul Gangseo-gu Winning the Grand Prize at the '2021 COVID-19 Crisis Management Contest'?

Selected as the Best Local Government Organization... Praised in Public-Private Governance Including Collaboration with Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Noh Hyun-song) has been recognized for exemplary response in COVID-19 crisis management.

The district announced that it won the grand prize in the local government category at the ‘2021 COVID-19 Crisis Management Awards Competition’ hosted by the Global COVID Crisis Management Evaluation Team.

The ‘2021 COVID-19 Crisis Management Awards Competition’ is a privately hosted contest focused on COVID-19 crisis management. It was co-organized by the Korean Local Government Association, the Korean Peninsula Peace Economy Institute, the World Korean Trade Association, and the Association of Overseas Korean Journalists, with over 100 domestic and international experts judging to select the winners.

The competition, held from May 31 to June 18, received applications from central government, local governments, education offices, private companies, and domestic and overseas organizations, and evaluated public institutions’ COVID-19 crisis management, making it highly significant.

The district participated under the theme ‘Public-Private Governance Shining Brighter on the Frontline of K-Quarantine’ and achieved the grand prize in the public-private governance category for local governments.

Notably, in collaboration with Edae Seoul Hospital, the district swiftly established drive-thru and walk-in screening clinics to accelerate COVID-19 testing, demonstrating outstanding performance in public-private quarantine governance.

Additionally, at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, the district urgently formed the Saemaeul Association and a special quarantine team to directly visit daycare centers, neighborhood markets, multi-use facilities, and residents requesting disinfection services to conduct quarantine disinfection, which was also highly praised for the joint public-private effort to overcome COVID-19.

District Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, “I would like to thank the residents who actively cooperated with quarantine and vaccination efforts to protect their beloved families and neighbors,” adding, “We will do our best together with the residents to end COVID-19 as soon as possible and return to normal daily life.”

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