Gwangju Dong-gu Wins Excellence Award at Ministry of Land Regional Revitalization Best Practice Competition

Gwangju Dong-gu was the only basic local government in the Gwangju area to receive the Excellence Award in the Regional Specialization category at the '2025 Regional Revitalization Best Practice Competition' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Photo by Gwangju Dong-gu

Gwangju Dong-gu announced on the 11th that it was the only basic local government in the Gwangju area to receive the Excellence Award in the Regional Specialization category at the '2025 Regional Revitalization Best Practice Competition' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Regional Revitalization Best Practice Competition is held annually to encourage private sector participation and public-private cooperation for balanced development and regional revitalization, as well as to discover and share economic revitalization strategies and region-led specialization models. The final cases are selected and presented at the 'Urban Regeneration Festival.'

Among the categories, the Regional Specialization section recognizes outstanding projects and activities in which local governments and urban regeneration support centers form a team to discover and utilize local assets, develop them into regional brands, and enhance local value.

Dong-gu received high marks for its differentiated regional branding achievements under the theme of 'Urban Regeneration Drawn by Youth: Seonam-dong Printing Culture Village,' based on the Seonam-dong Printing Street Urban Regeneration New Deal Project (central city type).

In particular, Dong-gu's ongoing efforts to revitalize the declining printing industry, centered around master printers with over 30 years of experience in the Gwangju and Jeonnam region's printing industry cluster, drew attention. Through the creation of a printing-themed street and the establishment of key spaces, Seonam-dong has improved its aging street environment. Additionally, by operating the Urban Regeneration College and holding events such as 'Printing Goods Day,' the district has strengthened resident capabilities and laid the foundation for urban regeneration growth.

Furthermore, the governance system established through organic collaboration with the Dong-gu Urban Regeneration Support Center, local creators, Chosun University Urban Campus, and the youth village 'Seonam Art Village' has closely connected the region, centering on the urban regeneration hub co-working space 'Moduui Sup.' The local branding efforts utilizing Seonam-dong's printing resources, which have brought new vitality to the printing business district, were also highly praised.

A Dong-gu official stated, "Urban regeneration does not end with the creation of spaces; it truly flourishes when people connect and relationships expand within those spaces. We hope that creative local creators will continue to work with residents to bring vitality to Seonam-dong Printing Street through urban regeneration projects."

Meanwhile, Dong-gu has been promoting the 'Seonam-dong Printing Street Urban Regeneration New Deal Project' since 2020, with a total project budget of 31.5 billion won. Through various initiatives such as infrastructure expansion, the creation of a printing-themed street, and resident capacity building, the district is working to restore the competitiveness of the Seonam-dong business district and revitalize the local area.

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