Han Seokhwa, Seosan City Council Member, Wins Excellence Award at Korean Association for Local Governments Legislative Awards

Seokhwa Han, a member of the Seosan City Council in Chungnam, announced on the 11th that he received the "Excellence Award" at the "2024 Local Government Legislative Awards" ceremony hosted by the Korean Local Government Association. The photo shows the award ceremony. Photo by Seokhwa Han

The Seosan City Council in South Chungcheong Province announced on the 11th that Council Member Han Seokhwa received the Excellence Award at the "2024 Local Government Legislative Awards" hosted by the Korean Association for Local Governments.

The Korean Association for Local Governments, established in 1989, has about 1,000 members, including professors, researchers, public officials of director level or higher, heads of local governments, and local council members in the field of local government administration and policy.

This year's Legislative Awards evaluated 248 local councils nationwide, comprehensively assessing legislative performance, community contributions, and public service activities of council members over the past three years, and ultimately selected one Grand Prize winner, one Top Excellence Award winner, and two Excellence Award winners.

The Korean Association for Local Governments stated, "Council Member Han Seokhwa has made significant contributions to the development of local councils and local autonomy through outstanding legislative capabilities and active legislative achievements."

As a member of the 9th Seosan City Council, Han Seokhwa has maintained a 100% attendance rate at plenary and standing committee meetings over the past three years.

In addition, as the chairperson of the "Special Committee on Environmental Pollution Countermeasures Related to Chiljeon-ri Compost and Hyundai Oilbank Phenol," Han has addressed environmental pollution issues that directly affect local residents and has worked to protect citizens' rights to health and survival.

In particular, Han urged the need to establish an Environmental Rapid Response Team to systematically monitor illegal environmental pollution in Seosan, which led to the operation of such a team targeting Jigok, Seongyeon, and local industrial complexes.

Thanks to the constant monitoring activities of the Environmental Rapid Response Team, Seosan City ranked first among local governments nationwide in the "2024 National Local Government Environmental Management Assessment of Air and Water Pollutant Emission Facilities" hosted by the Ministry of Environment in May.

In addition, Han has taken the lead in making Seosan a better place to live and promoting regional development by cooperating with the five major companies in Daesan to discuss industrial water recycling measures, urging strengthened management of discharged water, holding meetings to restore trust between companies and residents, and mediating conflicts.

Han Seokhwa stated, "I am grateful that my efforts to represent voices from the field and diligently engage in legislative activities have been positively recognized," and added, "I will continue to carry out unwavering legislative activities, keeping my original intentions in mind, so that Seosan City can achieve sustainable development and genuine local autonomy."