Jeonnam Jangseong-gun Awarded 'Excellence Prize' for Fulfilling Promises in the 8th Elected Term

Published 30 Jul.2023 14:32(KST)

Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do received an Excellence Award at the ‘2023 National Basic Local Government Heads’ Pledge and Policy Best Practices Competition’ held at Suncheon National University on the 27th.

The county had previously earned an excellent grade of ‘A’ in the nationwide evaluation of basic local government heads’ pledge implementation plans in April.

Organized by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters, this competition evaluated 364 outstanding cases submitted by 155 basic local governments nationwide through a first round of document screening and a second round of on-site evaluation to determine the awardees.

Jangseong-gun was honored with the Excellence Award in the ‘Job Creation and Employment Improvement’ category in recognition of the successful operation of the Jangseong Local Food Advanced Direct Store.

Opened for the first time last year, the Jangseong Local Food Advanced Direct Store gained great popularity by selling fresh local agricultural products (local food) directly from farmers. In particular, it earned consumer trust by providing safe food through regular residual pesticide inspections.

Organizing the shipping farms and establishing a multi-variety small-scale production system were also cited as success factors. Additionally, various cultural and artistic programs and consumer fam tours promoted the excellence of Jangseong agricultural products.

As a result, visits from urban residents to the direct store continued steadily. In June, just one year after opening, it achieved a remarkable sales record of 8.8 billion KRW. Jangseong-gun plans to add a farm restaurant and a youth communication space on the second floor of the direct store in the future.

Jeonnam Jangseong-gun Awarded 'Excellence Prize' for Fulfilling Promises in the 8th Elected Term

Kim Han-jong, the head of Jangseong-gun, expressed, “I am proud that the efforts made by Jangseong farmers and the county administration have been recognized,” and stated, “We will create a competitive Jangseong-gun that leads first-class agriculture by securing sales channels for agricultural products and revitalizing support for small-scale farmers.”