Jangsu County Wins Minister's Award at Local Regulation Innovation Best Practice Competition

Case of Designating an Exception Area to Pharmacy Separation

Jangsu County in North Jeolla Province recently received the "Minister's Award" at the "2025 Local Regulation Innovation Best Practice Competition (Finals)" hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

According to the county on the 28th, the competition, held at the Sejong Convention Center, saw a total of 106 regulatory innovation cases submitted by local governments nationwide. After the first and second rounds of review, 17 cases were selected. In the finals, the top 10 cases among the 17 were ranked through on-site presentations.

Jangsu County received the "Minister's Award" at the "2025 Local Regulatory Innovation Best Practice Competition (Finals)" hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 25th. Provided by Jangsu County

The county presented the case of designating Sanseo-myeon, which had been restricted by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act as a "pharmacy separation area," as an "exception area to pharmacy separation." The case received high marks in all categories, including creativity, difficulty, effectiveness, and potential for expansion, earning the excellence award.

The award-winning case, "Designation as an Exception Area to Pharmacy Separation," addressed the inconvenience faced by residents of Sanseo-myeon, where irregular pharmacy operations forced them to travel to neighboring areas to receive medication after medical treatment. The high proportion of elderly residents made healthcare accessibility a persistent local issue.

The county continuously pursued reviews of relevant laws, proposed special cases to North Jeolla Province, mediated to secure transportation for residents to neighboring areas, and submitted proposals to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

With repeated discussions and consent from pharmacy operators, as well as consultations with the Jangsu County Medical Association, Dental Association, and Pharmaceutical Association, the county succeeded in having Sanseo-myeon designated as an "exception area to pharmacy separation."

As a result of this designation, both medical treatment and prescription dispensing became possible at local health centers in the area, alleviating the burden of travel for residents and greatly improving the convenience of healthcare access.

Choi Hunsik, the county governor, stated, "This achievement is a meaningful result where a policy aimed at alleviating residents' inconveniences has led to real institutional change. We will continue to identify regulatory innovation tasks that benefit the daily lives of residents and do our best to create a 'Jangsu where all residents are happy.'"

Meanwhile, at this competition, one Prime Minister's Award (Grand Prize) and 16 Minister's Awards (2 top excellence, 7 excellence, and 7 encouragement) were presented, and the entire event was also broadcast live online.

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