Yeongdeok-gun Achieves SA Grade for Best Pledge Implementation for 7 Consecutive Years

Evaluation of Local Government Pledge Implementation Plans

Gyeongbuk's Only 7 Consecutive Years of Excellence

Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, achieved the highest rating (SA) in the ‘2023 Evaluation of Local Government Heads’ Pledge Implementation Plans (Roadmaps) for the 8th Term of Local Government’ announced by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters on the 17th, continuing its top evaluation in this category for seven consecutive years.

This evaluation, conducted on 226 local governments nationwide, is a project that diagnoses the execution plans and disclosure status of election pledges by mayors, county governors, and district heads across the country to enhance the effectiveness and feasibility of these pledges. It assesses philosophy and vision, annual implementation roadmaps, financial plans, and other execution methods, and is recognized as the most credible evaluation process.

For this evaluation, the Manifesto Headquarters announced 35 indicators across four major areas for pledge implementation plan assessment on December 5 last year. They requested local governments to prepare their pledge implementation plans and post them on their websites by January 30 to allow local residents and voters to verify them, through an ‘Evaluation Project Guidance Official Letter.’

Subsequently, a manifesto evaluation team composed of experts and activists conducted a first evaluation by analyzing publicly available data on city, county, and district websites nationwide from January 31 to February 24 over 25 days. They then requested supplementary materials by March 3 to give local governments sufficient opportunity to explain the points raised by the evaluation team. After reviewing the explanations and supplementary materials, the final results were announced on the 17th.

The evaluation criteria were conducted as an absolute assessment based on 35 detailed indicators under the categories of Preparedness (maximum 60 points), Democracy (maximum 25 points), Transparency (maximum 15 points), and Pledge Consistency (Pass/Fail). A total score of 90 or above was rated as SA, and 80 or above as A.

As a result, Yeongdeok-gun was one of only eight counties nationwide and the only county-level local government in Gyeongbuk Province to receive the SA rating, achieving the remarkable feat of being the only local government in Gyeongbuk Province to receive the highest manifesto evaluation grade for seven consecutive years.

Since the inauguration of Kim Gwang-yeol, the county governor of the 8th term, in July last year, Yeongdeok-gun established the ‘Yeongdeok County Governor’s Pledge Project Operation and Management Regulations (Directive)’ and systematized Kim Gwang-yeol’s election pledges into 46 projects under the vision of ‘A New Yeongdeok with the Residents,’ with five major county administration goals: ▲Creating an Attractive Investment Environment ▲Unique Cultural Tourism ▲Happy Welfare through Togetherness ▲Smiling Agricultural and Fishing Villages ▲Communicative Administration Sharing Hearts.

Moreover, by preparing a well-structured and detailed pledge implementation plan, which was reviewed by the Yeongdeok-gun Resident Jury Panel and publicly disclosed in January, Yeongdeok-gun was evaluated as having enhanced the feasibility and realism of pledge implementation through balanced and systematic preparation.

Yeongdeok-gun (County Governor Kim Gwang-yeol), awarded the highest SA grade for fulfilling campaign promises for 7 consecutive years.

Governor Kim Gwang-yeol expressed his thoughts, saying, “Since the pledge implementation plan evaluation for the 8th term yielded positive results, I will also prepare systematically and implement faithfully the upcoming pledge fulfillment evaluations, becoming a governor who never neglects the promises made to the residents.”