"Banner Communication"... Gwangju City Draws Attention with 'Emotional Administration'

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Gwangju City is attracting attention by practicing "emotional administration" that empathizes and communicates with citizens through concise yet impactful banners and placards. Photo by Gwangju City

On January 14, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, banners reading "Today is the day for you to rise" were simultaneously displayed on the exterior walls of Gwangju City Hall and Jeonil Building 245.

Gwangju City hung these banners for the Lunar New Year to encourage unity and inspire courage and hope among citizens facing difficulties amid the unsettled atmosphere caused by the 12·3 Martial Law, the impeachment crisis, and the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster during the previous winter. Citizens who saw the banners responded positively, saying "It gives me strength" and "Words we need," and the message spread through social networking services (SNS).

Gwangju City is attracting attention by practicing "emotional administration" that empathizes and communicates with citizens through concise yet impactful banners and placards.

In addition to "Today is the day for you to rise," the city has used a variety of banners and placards with messages such as "Voting is power" and "Han Kang, thank you, we are delighted! May, now a global spirit!" By doing so, the city is moving away from traditional administrative publicity and engaging with citizens on an emotional level.

Recently, the slogan "Voting is power" has been used to encourage active participation from citizens ahead of the 21st presidential election, emphasizing both the rights and responsibilities of democratic citizens.

Last year, the phrase "Han Kang, thank you, we are delighted! May, now a global spirit!" was used to pay tribute to Nobel Prize in Literature winner Han Kang. In particular, "May, now a global spirit" reflects Gwangju City’s commitment to remembering the historical significance of the 5·18 Democratization Movement and to spreading the spirit of May worldwide to share the values of peace and human rights.

This year, ahead of the May commemoration week, a banner displayed at Gwangju City Hall featured a line from Han Kang's novel "Human Acts": "I hope you will lead me to the bright side, to where the light shines, to where the flowers bloom."

Through this, the city aims to remember the pain of 5·18, honor the spirits of the many "boys" who sacrificed their lives at the time, and express citizens’ aspirations to overcome the darkness of the past and move forward into the future.

Gwangju City's banner campaigns are being recognized as efforts to break away from rigid and formal administrative publicity and to approach citizens in a friendlier and more effective manner.

Park Kwangseok, spokesperson for the city, stated, "Banners are an effective medium for communicating closely with citizens. Beyond simply conveying policy information, we aim to deliver messages that reflect the spirit of the times and inspire citizens, ultimately leading to positive change."

Park added, "We will continue to actively listen to citizens’ voices and communicate through a variety of messages that embody the values required by the times."

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