Seo-gu, Gwangju Selects Life-Oriented Policies as This Year's "So Good News"

Neighborhood Economy 119 and 1,000 Won Companion Policies Selected

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City has selected resident-experienced, life-oriented policies as the "Top 10 So Good News of 2025."

Seo-gu announced on December 1 that it conducted a survey on the Seo-gu Office website, targeting 24 outstanding policies in proactive administration, innovation, and collaboration this year. Over a 10-day period, 2,000 residents participated, and the final Top 10 news items were selected as a result.

Seo-gu, Gwangju City selected resident-experienced, life-oriented policies as the "Top 10 So Good News of 2025." Provided by Seo-gu, Gwangju City

The first place went to the "Designation of All Neighborhood Commercial Districts! Neighborhood Economy 119 Project." Seo-gu became the first in the nation to designate the entire district as 121 neighborhood-type commercial areas and greatly expanded the number of stores accepting Onnuri gift certificates, creating an environment where residents can receive up to a 20% discount in their everyday shopping activities.

In particular, Seo-gu is currently the only district among Gwangju’s five autonomous districts to implement a 10% cashback event for digital Onnuri gift certificates, thereby filling the gap left by the early termination of the previous 10% upfront discount policy for digital Onnuri gift certificates last month. Additionally, Seo-gu is working to ensure stable operation and expansion of the policy by installing the "Neighborhood Economy 119 Dashboard," launching and operating the "Neighborhood Economy 119 Hotline" for direct communication between the district mayor and merchants, and operating the "Neighborhood Office" in rotation across 18 neighborhoods.

The second and third places were taken by the "1,000 Won Companion" welfare policies. ▲"1,000 Won Guksi" is a representative sharing brand of Seo-gu, the Good City, and currently, Seo-gu is providing a total of 1,000 bowls per day at 10 stores for just 1,000 won each.

Especially, Seo-gu operates the program in a customized manner by setting different beneficiary groups at each store, considering local characteristics, such as pregnant women, seniors, and vulnerable groups. It also contributes to creating jobs for seniors, promoting the consumption of domestic wheat, and spreading a culture of sharing in the community.

▲"1,000 Won Taxi" is a transportation welfare policy for vulnerable health groups. Under this program, patients with severe illnesses (those eligible for Medical Aid Type 1 and special exemption) pay only 1,000 won for taxi fare when visiting the hospital, and Seo-gu covers up to 30,000 won. Since its launch in June, 400 people have used the service 1,000 times in just 100 days, and it has been recognized as an innovative model that links transportation welfare with public healthcare.

Other policies that made it to the Top 10 So Good News include: ▲"Zero Illegal Acts! Administrative Enforcement against Illegal Development in Pungam-dong," which strongly responded to illegal activities under a zero-tolerance policy to establish public order and the rule of law; ▲"Creation of Walkable Communication Theme Paths," which revitalized local businesses by establishing an urban walking tourism model; ▲"Baro Text Harangke," a two-way communication channel via direct text messages to the district mayor; ▲"012 Partners," a warm companion program with Seo-gu Honors; ▲Selection and support of the "Top 100 Neighborhood Restaurants"; ▲Creation of "Nanumnuri Forest," where sunsets and history meet; and ▲Operation of the "Happy School," where parents and children grow together, ranked fourth to tenth.

Seo-gu Mayor Lee Ikang said, "These results show that positive influence is permeating residents’ daily lives, and that the sharing and coexistence-oriented administration pursued by Seo-gu, the Good City, is resonating with the community. Going forward, we will continue to make administration more flexible, welfare more thorough, and the economy warmer, building a caring community together with our residents."

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