Awarded at the "Excellent Local Autonomy Policy Conference"
On the 7th, Seo-gu, Gwangju attended the "2025 Excellent Local Autonomy Policy Conference" held at Sarangjae, the National Assembly, showcasing Seo-gu's outstanding policies such as the Alley Economy 119 Project and received the Prime Minister's Award. Provided by Seo-gu, Gwangju
Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, was selected as the top local government nationwide for its "Establishment of an Innovative Alley Commercial District Model" and received the Prime Minister's Award.
On the 7th, Seo-gu received the Prime Minister's Award at the "2025 Excellent Local Autonomy Policy Conference," jointly hosted by the Council of Excellent Local Governments and Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province, in celebration of 30 years of local autonomy. The award recognized the achievements of the "Alley Economy 119 Project."
The event was attended by National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik, Prime Minister Kim Minseok, local government heads from across the country, and citizens. A total of 48 local governments presented their outstanding policies, and 26 were awarded the Prime Minister's Award, the National Assembly Speaker's Award, and the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award, among others.
Seo-gu drew attention by identifying the solution to local economic recovery in the "alley commercial district."
For the first time in the country, Seo-gu designated the entire district as an alley-type commercial area and significantly expanded the range of Onnuri Gift Certificate affiliates to include cafes, restaurants, hospitals, and gas stations, enabling all residents to use the certificates in their daily lives.
By offering a basic 10% discount and an additional payback event for up to 20% off, Seo-gu successfully revitalized the use of Onnuri Gift Certificates. As a result, merchants saw a noticeable increase in sales, and Seo-gu residents experienced a reduction in living expenses by more than 10 billion won this year alone. The policies of designating alley-type commercial areas and promoting Onnuri Gift Certificates, which began in Seo-gu, have since expanded throughout Gwangju and are being benchmarked by local governments nationwide.
Seo-gu currently operates 121 alley-type commercial areas and has installed an "Alley Economy 119 Situation Board" in the district mayor's office to continuously monitor the progress of these initiatives.
To gather merchants' feedback in real time, Seo-gu launched the "Alley Economy 119 Phone" for direct communication and actively incorporates on-site voices into policy by operating a mobile office that visits all 18 neighborhoods. At this policy conference, the establishment of a cooperative network among the administration, merchants, and residents was highly regarded as a key factor in Seo-gu's success.
Seo-gu Mayor Kim Ikang stated, "The reason we were able to achieve such significant results in a short period is that merchants, residents, and the administration came together as 'one team' with the shared goal of revitalizing the local economy. We will continue to provide administrative support to ensure that ethical consumption and a mutually beneficial local economic ecosystem can be sustained."
Seo-gu's "Alley Economy 119 Project" has already demonstrated its excellence in various national-level evaluations, winning the Grand Prize at the 2025 National Basic Local Government Manifesto Best Practices Competition and the Grand Prize at the Korea Local Government Management Awards.
Meanwhile, on November 5, Mayor Kim, during a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik, who visited Gwangju for Small Business Owners' Day, emphasized the need for active government support to ensure that the revitalizing alley economy leads not only to short-term consumption but also to the sustainable recovery of local economic sovereignty. He also requested an increase in next year's budget for small business owners.
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