Geochang County Sets Example in Resident Participatory Budget System... Named Nation’s Top Institution for Four Consecutive Years

Proving Top-Tier Operational Capacity Nationwide
with the Geochang-Style Resident Participatory Budget Model

Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province, announced on December 18 that it was selected as the nation’s top institution for the fourth consecutive year in the operation of the Resident Participatory Budget System at the 2025 Korea Local Finance Awards, hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the Government Sejong Complex. The county received a ministerial commendation and a financial incentive of 50 million won.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety annually evaluates the performance of the Resident Participatory Budget System among 243 local governments nationwide, assessing the soundness, democracy, accountability, and transparency of local fiscal management. Only four institutions-one each from metropolitan, city, county, and district levels-are selected as the best institution in each category.

Group Photo of Geochang County Selected as the Best Institution for Four Consecutive Years in Resident Participatory Budget System Performance Evaluation

Geochang County was previously selected as an excellent institution in 2018 and 2021, and has now achieved the distinction of being chosen as the best institution for four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025. This demonstrates the highest level of operational capacity among the 82 county-level local governments nationwide.

This year, under the slogan "Empathy and Growth-The Evolving Geochang-Style Resident Participatory Budget," several key initiatives contributed to the award: expanding the on-site Resident Budget School to include future generations (elementary, middle, high school, and university students) to foster participation among younger generations; diversifying Geochang County’s unique proposal competition types under the theme of "Imitation and Competition" to spread a creative administrative culture; strengthening deliberative administration through on-site visits to proposed projects with the help of meeting facilitators; and reinforcing the institutional foundation by revising the ordinance on the operation of the Resident Participatory Budget System.

Gu Inmo, Mayor of Geochang County, stated, "Being selected as the best institution in this year’s Resident Participatory Budget System performance evaluation reflects the high level of interest and participation of our residents. We will continue to strive for the stable operation of the Resident Participatory Budget System so that residents’ opinions are faithfully reflected in county administration."