Jeong Inhwa, Mayor of Gwangyang, Receives 'Korea Innovation Administration Award'

Mayor Jeong Praised for 'On-the-Ground Administration'
Recognized for Contributions to Local Economic Revitalization and Development

Jung In-hwa, Mayor of Gwangyang City, received the “Korea Innovation Administration Award” at the “2024 Proud Person Awards” ceremony held on the 20th floor of the Korea Press Center Press Club on the 11th.

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the awards ceremony was attended by over 200 guests, including awardees and congratulatory visitors, and 19 individuals were selected as the Proud Persons of the Year across 9 categories, receiving the honor of the award.

Jung In-hwa, Mayor of Gwangyang City, received the 'Korea Innovation Administration Award' at the '2024 Proud Person Awards' ceremony held on the 20th floor of the Korea Press Center Press Club on the 11th.
Photo by Gwangyang City

The “Proud Person Awards” is an event hosted by the organizing committee and supervised by the Korea Press Association. It is held annually with the purpose of evaluating the achievements of individuals who have contributed to the nation and local communities in various fields based on outstanding expertise and leadership, serving as role models for the public.

Mayor Jung In-hwa, who was selected as this year’s Proud Person and received the “Korea Innovation Administration Award,” has worked for the development of Gwangyang City with a strong sense of duty since taking office.

Emphasizing “field-oriented administration,” Mayor Jung has made the voices of citizens the compass of city governance and has actively communicated with the public. He has greatly contributed to revitalizing the local economy and regional development, steadily paving the way for Gwangyang City’s future.

Key achievements of Mayor Jung In-hwa during the second anniversary of his 8th term in office include ▲ designation of the Gwangyang Bay Secondary Battery Opportunity Development Zone (June 2024) ▲ designation of the first pilot area for the Education Development Special Zone (June 2024) ▲ securing the largest amount of national and provincial funding since the city’s establishment (574.9 billion KRW) ▲ attracting the largest-scale investment and job creation in history (27 companies, 4.0942 trillion KRW, 2,337 jobs) ▲ achieving first place overall in the 2024 government joint evaluation for the first time in Gwangyang City’s history (ranked first in both quantitative and qualitative assessments).

Additionally, ▲ the “Gwangyang Maehwa Festival” successfully transformed with three no’s: no overcharging, no disposable products, and no vehicle traffic, along with the introduction of paid admission ▲ issuance of 70 billion KRW worth of Gwangyang Love Gift Certificates, the largest discount support ever ▲ winning the “Grand Prize” in the Jeonnam Eco-friendly Agriculture Evaluation for two consecutive years for the first time ▲ ranking 12th nationwide in the 2024 Korea Sustainable City Evaluation ▲ and being the only city in Jeonnam to experience population growth for two consecutive years.

Mayor Jung In-hwa of Gwangyang City expressed his award acceptance remarks, saying, “As I stated when I took office, I have never forgotten my original intention and my pledge to focus solely on the citizens and to become a mayor who moves the hearts of the people. I am delighted to receive this meaningful award as a result.”