Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung: "We Will Make Greater Efforts to Realize a Dementia-Friendly City"

Second On-Site Citizen Communication 'Policy Picnic' Held

Gathering Opinions from Citizens and Experts for a 'Dementia-Friendly Society'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the 21st, Kang Gijeong, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, held the second on-site citizen communication event called ‘Policy Picnic’ at the Senior-Friendly Industry Support Center in celebration of the 15th Dementia Overcoming Day.

At this event, Mayor Kang listened to the opinions of citizens and experts for a dementia-friendly society.

He also conducted dementia screening tests with a citizen participation group composed of people aged 60 and over to emphasize the importance of dementia prevention and early diagnosis, and toured senior-friendly products exhibited at the comprehensive experience center, including care companion robots and AI exercise prescription systems.

Attending the ‘Policy Picnic’ meeting were Mayor Kang, five citizen representatives, Lee Geonho, Director of the Asian Dementia Research Foundation, Oh Changmyeong, Director of the Senior-Friendly Industry Support Center, Kim Hasuk, CEO of CoLab Co., Ltd., Kim Byeongchae, Director of Gwangju Metropolitan Dementia Center, and Kwak Jeongmin, Deputy Director of Dong-gu Dementia Relief Center.

The participants agreed that dementia is not a problem for the patient or family alone to bear, but an issue that all citizens should be concerned about and that the state should take the lead in addressing. They united in their commitment to work together on creating a dementia-friendly environment and awareness improvement projects to change the social atmosphere that stigmatizes dementia.

In addition, they shared opinions on various topics such as ways to advance Gwangju as a leading city in the senior-friendly industry and the activation of dementia prevention and prediction projects, as well as sharing the achievements of past projects.

A citizen who participated in the meeting said, “Dementia is just a disease like hypertension or diabetes, and it is possible to slow the progression of the disease through early diagnosis, but many still hesitate to undergo dementia tests. I think this is because only images of patients in the late stages of dementia are frequently shown on TV. I hope local governments will work to change this atmosphere.”

Mayor Kang said, “Since my time as a member of the National Assembly, I have advocated for the national responsibility system for dementia and even enacted laws such as the Long-Term Care Insurance Act for the Elderly, showing my strong interest in dementia. I hope this event was a meaningful opportunity not only for professional discussions but also for citizens to hear real stories and reflect on the roles they need to play in their respective positions.”

He added, “Dementia is not only a problem for patients and their families but requires the joint efforts of citizens, local governments, and the nation. We will strive harder to realize a dementia-friendly city.”

Since the 8th term of the civilian administration, Gwangju City has been holding ‘Policy Picnic’ events for on-site communication between the mayor and citizens regarding city administration issues, listening to vivid opinions from related industries on-site rather than focusing on events, and reflecting them in policies.