Sanimyeon Residents' Autonomy Committee of Haenam-gun Wins Grand Prize at National Residents' Autonomy Expo

Published 15 Nov.2021 19:33(KST)

‘Sanimyeon Gulleongsoe’ Honored as Best Public-Private Partnership in Regional Revitalization

Sanim-myeon Residents' Autonomy Committee in Haenam-gun won the Grand Prize at the National Residents' Autonomy Expo. ⓒAsia Economy

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] The Sanim-myeon Residents' Autonomy Committee (Chairman Jang Myeong-sik) in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, received the Grand Prize at the 20th National Residents' Autonomy Expo.

According to the county on the 15th, the Sanim-myeon Residents' Autonomy Committee received high praise for establishing a specialized residents' autonomy model by promoting public-private cooperation and village brand development projects under the theme of ‘Sanim-myeon Gulleongsoe’.

The National Residents' Autonomy Expo, celebrating its 20th year this year, is a nationwide event hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy, and the Open Society Citizens' Union. It selects and promotes excellent cases of residents' autonomy aimed at realizing local autonomy, participatory politics, and grassroots democracy.

Among 113 local governments nationwide that applied in the field of regional revitalization, the Sanim-myeon Residents' Autonomy Committee was honored with the Grand Prize after an online evaluation.

The Sanim-myeon Residents' Autonomy Committee holds the ‘Sanirang Gulleongsoe Public-Private Governance’ once a month, involving the residents' autonomy committee, township administration, village chiefs, and experts, setting various agendas to address local issues and carrying out projects accordingly.

Through this, a systematic village resource survey was conducted in five stages?basic investigation, questionnaire survey, drone filming, field investigation, and intensive investigation?together with all 40 villages, village chiefs, and children.

Additionally, residents directly participated in design workshops to create village brands and characters for all 40 villages, and developed various food recipes using local specialties, producing foods made from sweet potatoes, cabbage, ginseng, and tofu.

This program was conducted in a living lab format in collaboration with Honam University and Howon University, creating a case of win-win cooperation between universities and village communities.

Jang Myeong-sik, chairman of the Sanim-myeon Residents' Autonomy Committee, said, “Although it has only been about a year since our launch, the reason we were selected for the Grand Prize, surpassing many outstanding residents' autonomy committees nationwide, is that we did not simply follow existing activities but discovered projects that reflect the characteristics of the township and promoted them through public-private cooperation. We will continue to actively discover new projects and expand residents' autonomy in cooperation with residents to become a model for township-level residents' autonomy committees.”