Heo Seong-gon, Mayor of Gimhae, Receives Korea Local Autonomy Management Award

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] On the 20th, Heo Seong-gon, mayor of Gimhae City, Gyeongnam, received the CEO Award at the 26th Korea Local Autonomy Management Awards in 2021.

The Local Autonomy Awards have been presented annually since 1996, following the full-fledged era of local autonomy starting in 1995, through a rigorous evaluation process targeting excellent local governments. It is known as the most prestigious award among privately hosted awards.

The evaluation process consists of three stages: document review of achievements, interview assessment, and satisfaction survey, with the final awardees decided through the final deliberation of the judging committee.

Mayor Heo, who served as the elected mayor of Gimhae City during the 6th and 7th terms, was recognized for his significant contributions to solving long-standing local issues and improving citizens' quality of life through proactive administration based on diverse experiences and seniority, securing sustainable urban competitiveness under the city vision of "2000 Years of Gaya Foundation, Gimhae as a Global City."

In particular, he laid the foundation for the restoration and research of Gaya history by enacting the Historic and Cultural Zone Maintenance Act and attracting the National Gaya History and Culture Center. He also established a unique cultural brand for Gimhae through designation as a legal cultural city by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Furthermore, he earned high marks for efforts to discover future growth engines for the next 100 years, including specialization in the medical and life sciences industries, future automobiles, and sensor industry development, based on the designation of the Small but Strong Research and Development Special Zone.

Additionally, internally within the organization, he focused on innovation in the public service sector by changing work methods, strengthening communication and collaboration, and establishing a culture of proactive administration. As a result, the city achieved the highest-ever score in the integrity evaluation, ranking first in the province, and was recognized for greatly contributing to the spread of a clean and honest public service culture.

Mayor Heo stated in his acceptance speech, "This award is not a personal honor but a result of the collective efforts of Gimhae City public officials and 560,000 citizens who united their hearts for the development of our city. I will continue to do my best so that our city can take another leap forward and establish itself as a premium city in Korea."

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