Gokseong-gun, 90% Progress in Fulfilling Promises of the 7th Elected Administration

64 out of 71 Pledges Completed or Progressing Normally

[Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Jeonnam Gokseong-gun, which set the goal of ranking first in the happiness index of county residents during the 7th local government administration, announced on the 3rd that it is transforming the lives of its residents by achieving a 90% pledge fulfillment rate.

During the 7th local government administration, Gokseong-gun announced 71 pledge projects across 5 sectors in the second half of 2018. After three years, Gokseong-gun has completed 41 of these pledge projects and is actively pursuing 23, achieving a high pledge fulfillment rate.

In fact, Gokseong-gun has received excellent ratings for three consecutive years since 2019 in the pledge fulfillment evaluation conducted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters. Additionally, it has won the grand prize for two consecutive years since 2019 in the Manifesto Best Practice Evaluation, becoming a nationwide model case in pledge fulfillment.

Among the five pledge sectors of Gokseong-gun, the education sector shows the highest completion rate. The goal was to establish a natural ecology education foundation and provide creative education where dreams come true. To this end, a total of nine pledge projects were proposed, all of which have been completed, achieving a 100% completion rate.

A notable pledge in the education sector is the establishment of the Future Education Foundation. It is the first educational institution in the country where the county, the education support office, and the private sector collaborate to build a sustainable learning ecosystem. The foundation plays a scaffolding role by helping children discover their potential while enjoying learning through forest education, arts education, coding education, and more.

In the agriculture sector, 16 out of 21 pledges have been completed, and 5 are being actively pursued. The goal was to create new value in agriculture in preparation for future agriculture.

Above all, Gokseong-gun has focused on branding agricultural products. By promoting taro and melon as main products, it has elevated local agricultural products to nationally recognized premium brands. Gokseong Taro succeeded in registering a geographical indication in 2019.

It has also achieved results in improving the agricultural structure from conventional farming to scientific farming. Four customized smart farm facilities have been developed, and four types of facility greenhouses suited to the region's environmental characteristics have been created. Furthermore, it supports 135 young farmers with farming settlement funds and facility funds to prepare for future agriculture.

In the local economy sector, 8 out of 17 pledge projects have been completed, and 8 are being actively pursued. The region is divided into three major zones, and specialized development strategies are being implemented for each area.

The Okgwa zone is being developed as the central axis of future industries, while the Seokgok zone is promoting ecological tourism and the creation of distinctive cultural spaces.

In the welfare sector, 6 out of 12 pledge projects have been completed, and 3 are being actively pursued.

In the culture and tourism sector, 2 out of 12 pledges have been completed, and 7 are underway. Although the number of completed projects is relatively low due to the large scale of tourism projects, most have received approval or have begun construction.

The pledge to underground power lines along the Seomjin River is currently progressing smoothly.

Gokseong-gun plans to successfully complete the ongoing projects. It also intends to continuously review the effects of completed projects and enhance their completeness by reflecting the demands of residents.

To this end, it is currently conducting a supplementary study for the 2026 mid- to long-term comprehensive development plan, actively responding to changes such as decentralization and the advent of the untact era.

Yoo Geun-gi, the governor of Gokseong-gun, said, “We will continuously strive to ensure that any pledge or policy directly benefits the residents, thereby increasing the happiness index felt by the residents.”

Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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