Gwangju City Implements Democracy through Everyday Public-Private Cooperation

‘1st Meeting of 2025’ of the Public-Private Governance Council
Pursuing Five Core Tasks Including Branding the Governance Model
Strengthening Agenda Discovery and Implementation Through Subcommittee Specialization

Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, attended the first public-private cooperation council meeting of 2025 held in the city hall's medium conference room on the 19th and is taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Gwangju City

The public and private sectors in Gwangju are joining forces to realize “Gwangju of Democracy through Everyday Governance.” While the past three years (the 1st Basic Plan) focused on building a sustainable Gwangju community, the next three years (the 2nd Basic Plan) will aim to achieve “Democratic Gwangju through everyday communication and governance.”

The Gwangju Public-Private Governance Council (hereafter referred to as the Council) held its “1st Meeting of 2025” in the main conference room at City Hall on the 19th, where they discussed the 2024 operational achievements, the 2nd Basic Plan for Promoting Public-Private Governance, and the 2025 operational plan.

The Council was formed as a platform for cooperation and communication between the city and civil society, with the aim of establishing and implementing policies and projects for regional development and solving social issues through public-private collaboration. A total of 151 members participate, including representatives from Gwangju City, the City Council, citizen and professional organizations, and the general public.

More than 40 people attended the meeting, including co-chairs Mayor Kang Gijung and Jeong Yeongil, Chairman of the Gwangju NGO Citizens Foundation, as well as other council members.

Participants identified the “Public-Private Governance Joint Project” as a key achievement last year, implemented to address the criticism that “identified issues are not being translated into policy.” The Council discussed 15 proposed policies and succeeded in selecting and implementing five of them. Notable examples include the “Gwangju 3-Day Living Project” to attract more young people to the city and the “JOB Festival for Marriage Migrant Women.”

The Public-Private Governance Joint Project will continue this year. Each subcommittee will identify policy proposals by June, and a workshop will be held in July to finalize the projects.

The Council also held 59 subcommittee meetings to discuss 38 agenda items. The Safe City and Transportation Subcommittee carried out the “Pause Before Right Turn Campaign,” while the Women’s Subcommittee conducted the “Safe City at Night Campaign.”

The Council shared the “2nd Basic Plan for Promoting Public-Private Governance.” The 2nd Basic Plan (2025?2027) envisions “realizing Democratic Gwangju through everyday communication and governance” and will pursue five core tasks and 15 detailed projects. The five core tasks are: ▲Improvement of governance systems and strengthening the Public-Private Governance Council ▲Identification and implementation of public-private governance agendas ▲Strengthening Gwangju governance capabilities ▲Activation of the Gwangju Governance Platform ▲Branding the Gwangju Public-Private Governance Model.

Mayor Kang Gijung stated, “The Public-Private Governance Council is the official and practical center of cooperation between the public and private sectors,” adding, “I hope the Council will continue to evolve by reflecting more diverse opinions from more people in policy through public-private joint projects and other initiatives.”

Meanwhile, at the meeting, awards were presented to eight citizens and five public officials who contributed to promoting public-private governance.

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