Geochang County Holds Open Briefing on Major Administrative Plans Inviting Residents

Sharing Geochang’s Future
Enhancing Understanding of County Policies
and Expanding Resident Participation

Geochang County in South Gyeongsang Province invited around 300 residents to the county government’s main conference hall over three days on the 17th, 19th, and 20th, sharing the key achievements of Geochang’s administration in 2025 and the progress of its pledged projects.

Following this, the county is holding the “Open Report Meeting Inviting Residents on Major Administrative Plans for 2026,” where it listens to residents’ opinions on this year’s priority and new projects.

The purpose of this open report meeting is to share the achievements of the 2025 county administration and the major plans for 2026 with residents, thereby enhancing understanding of county policies and creating a virtuous cycle of increased resident participation in local governance.

Among the key achievements for 2025, Geochang County has implemented robust youth policies based on communication with young people, including the Youth Leap Allowance and the construction of youth rental housing. As a result, it became the first “youth-friendly city” in South Korea.

Additionally, the county was designated as a women-friendly city in 2025, selected as an excellent lifelong learning city, and won awards in 29 different fields. Furthermore, it secured a total of 142.2 billion won in funding from 60 public contest projects, including 20 billion won for the Smart Agriculture Promotion District, 12.5 billion won for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Leading Investment District Project, and 43.4 billion won for disaster risk areas in Gajo Yanggi and Eumgi.

Geochang County Holds Open Report Meeting Inviting Residents on Major Administrative Plans for 2026.

Of particular note, Geochang Hwa-jang Facility “Cheonsang Park” and the Geochang Medical Welfare Town, which are of greatest interest to residents, held groundbreaking ceremonies in September and October of this year. In 2026, the crematorium is scheduled for completion, and construction will begin on the public postpartum care center, Happiness Cancer Center, and Childcare Dream Center within the medical welfare town, making these projects more tangible.

The newly launched “Geochang ON Spring Festival” completed the county’s four-season festival lineup this year. The 5th Gamaksan Flower Star Travel Festival attracted 320,000 visitors and generated over 800 million won in revenue, following last year’s success, delivering a significant boost to the local economy through tourism.

For 2026, Geochang County plans to further advance its tourism industry by gradually promoting the “Year of Visiting Geochang” and the “Geochang Changpowon Garden Industry Expo,” aiming to attract 10 million visitors.

In sports, the early acquisition of the Geochang Eco-Friendly Public Golf Course allowed it to reopen as Geochang Country Club in January this year, increasing resident usage and achieving an 86% revisit rate and early reservation closures, demonstrating successful establishment. The simultaneous completion ceremonies for the second Sports Town and the second Changpowon Park Golf Course also contributed to enhancing residents’ access to sports and recreational welfare.

In 2026, the soccer and futsal fields at the second Changpowon Sports Facility will be completed. In addition, a planning team for the Provincial Residents Sports Festival will be established to thoroughly prepare for the successful hosting of the 66th South Gyeongsang Provincial Residents Sports Festival, which will be jointly held by four counties in western Gyeongnam in 2027.

Also in 2026, major projects scheduled for completion include: the “Cheonsang Park” crematorium; the Hometown Olrae Local Study Project; integrated care support; operation of the Gyeongnam Villa; establishment of nighttime tourism infrastructure at Suseungdae; improvement of rural spaces in Dongsan Village; the second elevator test tower; creation of a climate-adaptive urban forest; and the access road to Geyeolsanseong Fortress.

As part of the 8th popularly elected administration’s pledges, the Youth Dream Voucher, which has been promoted since 2023 and has had a positive impact on both youth and the local economy, will be expanded to include elementary school students. Large-scale projects set to begin construction in 2026 include: detailed design for the school complex facility project; construction of the public postpartum care center, Happiness Cancer Center, and Childcare Dream Center; the Geochang Art Gallery; an organic farming complex; creation of a smart agriculture promotion district; improvement of the Gimcheon-ri natural disaster risk area; construction of a southern bypass road; creation of an urban wind path forest; and establishment of a new municipal solid waste incineration facility. These projects are expected to further advance Geochang’s future.

County Governor Koo Inmo stated, “Geochang County is recognized by central government ministries and South Gyeongsang Province for having the best administration in the region, and we are proud of this. We will continue to work diligently with over 800 public officials to swiftly implement the reported major plans for 2026 and usher in an era of happiness for our residents.”

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