Yangcheon-gu Wins Green City Presidential Award Hosted by Ministry of Environment

Recognized as Korea's Top Green City for Eco Yangcheon Project with Residents... Secured Green City Plaque and 25 Million KRW Award, Priority Benefits in Future Ministry of Environment Projects

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) was selected as an excellent local government in the 9th Green City Awards 2020 hosted by the Ministry of Environment and received the Presidential Award. On the 27th, an award ceremony was held at Haenuri Hall in Haenuri Town, Yangcheon-gu, with the participation of Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae and heads of the awarded local governments.

The 'Green City' is a system that selects local governments with excellent environmental management capabilities and outstanding eco-friendly policies. Since 2004, the Ministry of Environment has evaluated basic local governments nationwide every two years, selecting and awarding six local governments.

Among them, Yangcheon-gu received the highest award, the Presidential Award.

On this day, the award ceremony and congratulatory performances were held with the attendance of the heads of local governments who received the Prime Minister's Award, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, and the Minister of Environment Award, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Seocheon-gun and Hongseong-gun in Chungnam, and Gimhae-si in Gyeongnam, along with Yangcheon-gu, the Presidential Award recipient.

This Ministry of Environment Green City evaluation was based on projects implemented from 2018 to 2019, comprehensively selecting through quantitative evaluations of urban environment (air quality, water quality, resource circulation), natural environment (green spaces and ecology), climate change response fields, and environmental administrative capabilities, as well as on-site evaluations and qualitative assessments of representative policy projects and best practices of local governments.

Yangcheon-gu received high evaluations particularly for leveraging its regional characteristics of high population density and residential areas by creating an inclusive city with direct resident participation, an ecological city with various ecological and forest experience spaces in urban living areas, a safe city built through specialized projects for each disaster type due to the climate crisis, and the interest of the head of the district in the environment.

In particular, the district focused on climate change response projects involving resident participation. These included the '300,000 Tree Planting Project,' where residents directly plant and nurture trees, the recruitment and operation of 'WOOD ARMY' volunteers for tree planting, the 'Green Fence' to reduce fine dust, and the installation of the nation's first fine dust traffic lights. These mid- to long-term projects addressing climate change and fine dust were operated based on communication and empathy with residents.

Additionally, a natural-friendly environment where various generations coexist was created in urban living areas to form a pleasant city. Programs such as Healing Forest Prenatal Care, Infant Forest Experience, One Neighborhood One Creative Playground, Woodworking Workshop, Health Paths, and Barrier-Free Deck Forest Trails were established to provide green welfare from fetus to old age. The Yangcheon Urban Agriculture Park, where the whole family can enjoy, was also created, aiming to be an ecological city living in harmony with nature throughout life.

Furthermore, the district completed the nation's first tunnel-type rainwater storage facility, the Sinwol Rainwater Storage Drainage Facility, to fundamentally solve flooding damage in low-lying areas and overcome the crisis of climate change.

Yangcheon-gu, which received the Green City Presidential Award this time, will be supported with a Green City plaque and a prize money of 25 million won. In the future, it will be classified as a priority consideration target for the Ministry of Environment's project budget allocation and related projects, ensuring continuous support.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, "We will continue to promote eco-friendly policies that residents can empathize with and achieve together, making every effort to create an ecological city where people and nature coexist and a livable eco-friendly city." He added, "We will raise the status of Yangcheon-gu as an environmental city, including a city without worries about climate change, an environmental education city experiencing environmental changes, and a future city integrating future technologies with the environment."