Residents Directly Discover and Operate Projects... Realizing 'Self-Reliant Small Strong Villages'
This Year, Four Border Area Villages Selected for Phase 1 Projects
[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gyeonggi Province will implement a resident-led "Border Area Resident Self-Sustaining Village Vitalization Project" starting this year to improve living conditions in the northern border areas of Gyeonggi and revitalize the local economy.
Considering the previous limitations of focusing solely on improving living conditions, the province designed the project from this year to enable residents to lead various income-generating activities so that both residents and villages can grow together.
The project will be carried out in stages: Phase 1 "Resident Capacity Building," Phase 2 "Establishment of Business Foundation," and "Comprehensive Village Development," progressing step-by-step according to the capacity level of the target villages.
In Phase 1, based on the analysis of village resources, residents will be provided with customized education and opportunities such as field forums to strengthen their capabilities and activate the community, enabling them to independently establish village development plans.
Next, in Phase 2, the village development plans established by each city and county in Phase 1 will be reviewed to select outstanding projects, followed by detailed design services and facility construction to begin full-scale village development.
In particular, from the early stages of the project, "Village Community Experts (Plan-Managers)" will assist the cities and counties in promoting the project.
In October last year, through a public contest and written and on-site evaluation procedures, four border area villages?Bongilcheon-ri in Paju, Yeongok-ri in Yangju, Gisan-ri in Pocheon, and Wondang-ri in Yeoncheon?were selected as Phase 1 resident capacity building project sites for this year.
The selected villages will go through a preparation phase and start the project this month with resident briefings.
In the second half of the year, two projects among the Phase 1 sites, which are expected to be highly feasible and effective, will be selected as Phase 2 project sites and will be gradually expanded from next year.
Yeon Je-chan, Director of the Provincial Balanced Development Planning Office, said, "Through the Village Vitalization Project, we will focus on discovering various resident-led income projects to create jobs and improve residents' quality of life."
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