Gwangju City Enters Citizens' Lives Together with Civic Groups

City-Citizen Group 'Gwangju Development' Forum... Seeking Solutions to Current Issues

Discussing Various Topics Including Low Birthrate, Local Autonomy, and Carbon Neutrality

Explanation of City Administration Status, Two-Year Evaluation of Civic Groups, and Direction Proposals

Gwangju Metropolitan City and civil society came together to discuss the common goal of ‘Gwangju Development.’

Gwangju City (Mayor Kang Gi-jung) announced on the 12th that it held the 4th Gwangju Civil Society Organizations Forum on the 11th to seek solutions to current issues such as low birth rates and carbon neutrality, marking the second year of the 8th elected administration.

The forum was held following the promise made at the 2nd forum held in July last year to review the achievements of the second year of the 8th elected administration and discuss ways to advance city governance.

The ‘Gwangju City-Civil Society Organizations Forum,’ which began in the 8th elected administration, is becoming a regular communication channel. Like this forum, previous forums also lasted over three hours and featured heated discussions.

First, Gwangju City explained the ‘Status of the 2nd Year of the 8th Elected Administration,’ and Ki Woo-sik, Secretary General of the Gwangju Civil Society Organizations Council, presented an evaluation titled ‘Two Years of Gwangju City Governance from the Perspective of Civil Society.’

Gwangju City cited the following achievements over two years: ▲ Passage of the Special Act on Military Airport Relocation and the Special Act on Dalbit Railroad through the Dalbit Alliance ▲ Full-scale development of the former frontline and unilateral sites and Eodeungsan Mountain ▲ Expansion of industrial infrastructure including the attraction of the 1 million pyeong Future Car National Industrial Complex and the specialized materials, parts, and equipment complex ▲ Realization of universal welfare through Gwangju-style integrated care ▲ Completion of a talent development ladder including the AI Demonstration Valley project, Gwangju Station Startup Valley, and AI Gifted High School.

Ki Woo-sik, Secretary General of the Gwangju Civil Society Organizations Council, said, “Mayor Kang Gi-jung has kept his promise to continuously communicate with civil society, and through four forums, we have confirmed sincerity toward each other,” adding, “We ask for detailed institutionalization to take a step further, including administrative innovation to strengthen transparency, expansion of benefits from Gwangju-style integrated care, and revitalization of citizen participation budgeting.”

The civil society organizations proposed four main topics for discussion: ▲ Women (low birth rate policies, expansion of support facilities for victims of violence against women, etc.) ▲ Local autonomy and administrative innovation ▲ Environment and transportation (climate crisis response, carbon neutrality, RE100, etc.) ▲ Urban issues (Jisan IC, Urban Railway Line 2, etc.).

Additionally, a separate Q&A session was held for participants (floor), covering various topics including energy transition issues.

Gwangju City proposed two topics for discussion: ▲ Cooperation measures to promote the relocation of the integrated civil-military airport ▲ Gathering opinions to establish concrete plans for a poster city (public transportation, bicycles, walking).

Park Mi-kyung, representative of the Gwangju Civil Society Organizations Council, said, “I wonder how many pairs of shoes the mayor has worn out with his field-centered administration over the past two years. I hope that the next two years will also see meticulous administration to ensure citizens’ daily lives are safe and peaceful,” adding, “Since the efforts of Gwangju City and civil society are for the Gwangju community, an open attitude based on mutual trust is necessary, and I hope that forums for policy discussions will be held frequently.”

Mayor Kang Gi-jung of Gwangju said, “The role of civil society has been significant in solving city governance issues over the past two years. Thank you for joining efforts to make policies,” and added, “Gwangju City will enter the lives of citizens together with civil society. Through this, we will build trust throughout society and use it as a driving force for Gwangju’s development.”

About 100 people attended the forum, including Mayor Kang Gi-jung, heads of departments, the Gwangju Civil Society Organizations Council, Gwangju Women’s Hotline, Gwangju Participatory Autonomy 21, Gwangju Environmental Movement Federation, and Gwangju Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice. The event was broadcast live on Gwangju City’s YouTube channel ‘Hello Gwangju.’