Gwangju Seo-gu Focuses Administrative Efforts on Achieving Genuine Village-Centered Autonomy

BI Policy Meetings to Be Held in All 18 Neighborhoods by Next Month

Seo-gu District in Gwangju (District Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 27th that it will focus its administrative efforts on realizing "genuine community-centered autonomy" by expanding opportunities for resident participation through the Dong BI (Brand Identity) project, which reflects the identity of each neighborhood.

Since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration, Seo-gu has been discovering BIs that reflect each neighborhood's unique identity, history, and culture, and has been promoting specialized projects based on these BIs, thereby broadening the scope of resident participation.

Kim Ikang, head of Seo District Office, held a meeting with participants from 17 clubs at the Pungam-dong Administrative Welfare Center on the 26th. Photo by Seo District Office

In particular, Pungam-dong has gained attention as a successful example of the BI project by reflecting its BI, "Healing Rest Area, Healthy Village," and revitalizing various clubs in fields such as art, music, sports, and urban agriculture.

Seo-gu District Mayor Kim Ikang held a meeting the previous day at the Pungam-dong Administrative Welfare Center with participants from 17 different clubs.

Residents who attended the meeting said, "By communicating with neighbors who share similar interests and hobbies through these clubs, we naturally get to know new neighbors and have become more interested in Pungam-dong, where our families live." In particular, Pungam-dong has received a great response by fully supporting resident activities, even providing the office of the neighborhood chief within the Administrative Welfare Center as a club activity space.

Mayor Kim also stated, "We are shifting the paradigm of community autonomy from being centered on public service and volunteer activities to a BI-centered approach, creating opportunities for more residents to participate in various forms of autonomous activities. We will continue to support these efforts so that any place residents gather can become a stage and activity space for community autonomy, thereby realizing 'genuine community-centered autonomy.'"

Seo-gu plans to hold BI policy meetings for each of the 18 neighborhoods, starting with Pungam-dong and continuing through next month, to collect residents' opinions and reflect them in policies and projects.

Meanwhile, Seo-gu established the "Life Government Bureau" through an organizational restructuring last December and is building a community-centered life government model by providing administrative services that residents can experience in their daily lives, such as neighborhood-specific BI projects, the "Barefoot-ro" program, and the activation of the "Saekundae" (the world's largest university, Seo-gu) neighborhood campus.