Gangneung City Achieves 75.4 Points in Citizen Quality of Life Satisfaction... Policy Effectiveness Soars to a Record 79.8%

Gangneung City Announces Results of the "2025 Policy Survey"
Communication Initiatives Lead to Change, with 78.1% Policy Responsiveness
Natural Products Bioindustry Selected as Future Strategic Industry
High Demand for Expansion of Extended-Stay Tourism Infrastructure

On December 4, Gangneung City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Kim Honggyu) announced the results of the "2025 Gangneung City Policy Survey," which was conducted to establish major policies and make timely decisions. The survey results demonstrate that the citizen-centered communication efforts of the 8th popularly elected Gangneung City administration have led to a tangible increase in policy satisfaction, supporting the positive evaluation of the city’s governance.

A panoramic view of Gangneung City Hall.

The survey was conducted by a professional research agency from November 13 to 18 through face-to-face interviews with 1,000 men and women aged 19 and older residing in Gangneung City. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The results show that the communication initiatives of the 8th Gangneung City administration have brought about real change.

Citizens evaluated that the city effectively informs them about its policies ("Policy Promotion Evaluation" 77.4%, up 11.5 percentage points from the previous year) and listens to their voices ("Policy Responsiveness Evaluation" 78.1%, up 13.2 percentage points from the previous year). This led to a sharp increase in the perception that the city’s policies are actually helpful ("Policy Effectiveness Evaluation" 79.8%, up 14.6 percentage points from the previous year).

This positive perception translated into concrete improvements in key indicators.

Since 2023, both the annual "City Policy Satisfaction" (69.4% → 72.6% → 73.5%) and "Citizen Quality of Life Satisfaction" (70.7 points → 72.5 points → 75.4 points) have shown a steady upward trend. The "Status and Administrative Service Improvement of Gangneung City" also rose by 1.4 percentage points from the previous year to 88.9%.

In the area of the local economy, the top future strategic industry was identified as the natural products bioindustry (51.8%). For revitalizing the local economy, respondents highlighted the expansion of leisure facilities filled with attractions and activities (42.4%) and the development of large-scale accommodations for extended-stay tourism (41.1%) as important. For job creation, 54.1% of respondents said administrative efforts should focus on supporting youth employment.

In the tourism and culture sector, the highest demand for transforming Gangneung into a city for extended-stay tourism was for the improvement of the Gyeongpo area environment and the creation of a theme park (44.3%). For cultural heritage projects, the globalization of the Gangneung Danoje Festival received overwhelming support (77.9%). Meanwhile, to strengthen competitiveness as a sports city, the expansion of public sports facilities, such as the construction of a comprehensive sports town, was cited by 76.5% of respondents.

In welfare and urban environment, the top priorities were strengthening customized welfare services for different groups and targets (69.7%) and revitalizing local commercial districts through urban regeneration projects (61.5%). In particular, in response to the recent climate crisis, there was a very high demand (84.8%) for expanding alternative water resources in the water supply and sewage sector to prepare for future droughts.

In agriculture and fisheries, the most effective measures were identified as the dissemination of smart agriculture technologies and fostering new agricultural industries (57.2%), as well as building a sustainable coastal ecosystem through initiatives like the creation of marine forests (50.3%).

□ Mayor Kim Honggyu stated, "The significant rise in policy indicators confirmed by this survey proves that citizen-centered communication and bold policy implementation are having a positive impact on citizens’ lives. Going forward, we will continue to deliver tangible results that citizens can feel, such as fostering the natural products bioindustry and expanding tourism infrastructure, guided by the voices of our citizens."

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