Moon Sunhwa of Gwangju Donggu District Council Wins Excellence Award at Governance Local Politics Awards

Community Capacity Building Category

Moon Sunhwa, a member of the Gwangju Donggu District Council, recently received the Excellence Award in the Community Capacity Building category at the 2025 Governance Local Politics Awards ceremony. Photo by Gwangju Donggu District Council

Moon Sunhwa, a member of the Gwangju Donggu District Council, announced on the 24th that she recently received the Excellence Award in the Community Capacity Building category at the 2025 Governance Local Politics Awards ceremony.

Last year, Councilor Moon was awarded the Grand Prize in the Outstanding Ordinance category at the 16th 2024 Local Council Member Manifesto Awards. With this latest honor, she has achieved meaningful recognition for two consecutive years.

This year’s Governance Local Politics Awards recognized local government heads and council members across the country in six categories, including: expanding residents’ convenience, strengthening community capacity, and revitalizing the local economy.

Councilor Moon was recognized for her efforts to support residents of jjokbangchon (small room villages) concentrated in the old downtown area. She established governance structures with related organizations and took the lead in shaping public opinion for jjokbangchon support through various policy forums. She was also acknowledged for enacting, for the first time in any district in the country, an ordinance dedicated to jjokbangchon residents, thereby establishing a sustainable support system and contributing to the enhancement of their community capacity.

Councilor Moon stated, "Residents of jjokbangchon are not objects of hatred or exclusion, but members of our social community and partners who should be embraced and protected. I will do my best to lay the groundwork for their self-reliance by building diverse cooperation systems and fostering social solidarity."