Mayor Bang Se-hwan: "Enhancing Urban Competitiveness Through Cultural Governance"
Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 24th that it received the Excellence Award in the Implementation of Cultural Governance category at the "2025 National Basic Local Governments Cultural Policy Concerto," which evaluates outstanding cultural policies of basic local governments nationwide.
Bang Se-hwan, Mayor of Gwangju City, is receiving the Excellence Award in the Implementation of Cultural Governance category at the "2025 National Basic Local Governments Cultural Policy Concerto," which evaluates outstanding cultural policies of basic local governments nationwide. Provided by Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province
This national cultural policy competition was co-hosted by the Korea Manifesto Center and the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Economic Promotion Agency, and sponsored by Wonju City. Held under the slogan "Culture, City, and Resilience," the event took place over two days from December 22 to 23 at Sangji University.
A total of 84 cities, counties, and districts from across the country participated, submitting 160 outstanding cultural policy cases. Of these, 86 cases passed the first document review and advanced to the finals. After presentation evaluations and category-specific assessments, 38 cases were ultimately selected and awarded as outstanding examples.
Gwangju City advanced to the finals in the Implementation of Cultural Governance category with the theme "From a Wasteland of Wind Music to the World Stage: The Growth Story of the Gwangju Youth Orchestra Blossomed by WASBE." After on-site presentations, the city was honored with the Excellence Award.
This case was highly praised for establishing a collaborative cultural governance system involving Gwangju City, the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education, cultural foundations, and local organizations, as well as for creating a sustainable youth cultural ecosystem by linking international cultural events with local youth arts education.
In particular, the growth process of the local youth orchestra, "Midam Orchestra," demonstrated that international cultural events can serve as a catalyst for forming a new cultural ecosystem and that cultural policies can enhance urban competitiveness.
Mayor Bang Se-hwan stated, "This award is the result of youth, educational institutions, and the local community coming together to create a new cultural ecosystem, inspired by the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference. Moving forward, we will continue to build Gwangju as a cultural city where youth and citizens can truly experience the benefits of cultural governance."
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