Jeongseon County’s Achievements with the “Daily Cultural City Jeongseon” Model
Expanding the Jeongseon-Style Collaborative Governance Cultural City Nationwide
Through the Creation of a Regional Arirang Cultural Belt
Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province received the Excellence Award at the "2025 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Cultural Policy Concerto" in recognition of its achievements in collaborative governance-based cultural policies centered around Jeongseon Arirang, which have been jointly developed by residents, the local government, professional organizations, and the private sector.
Jeongseon County is receiving the Excellence Award at the "2025 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Cultural Policy Concerto." Provided by Jeongseon County
This award was granted in high regard for Jeongseon County’s efforts to establish a model of a daily cultural city, expanding the world-renowned cultural heritage of Jeongseon Arirang beyond performances and festivals into the everyday lives of residents, as well as into local spaces, tourism, and the economy.
The county has strengthened the execution of its cultural policies by establishing a five-pronged collaborative governance system. This system combines the expertise of the Jeongseon Arirang Cultural Foundation, policy and administrative support from the county office, the planning and operational capabilities of Jeongseon DMO, creative content from private companies, and the proactive participation of residents.
In particular, residents have expanded their roles from mere spectators to key players in the cultural city by directly participating in parades, alley concerts, alley museums, night tours, and exhibition and experience programs. As a result, a local cultural ecosystem has emerged, interlinking culture, tourism, and the economy.
The Jeongseon Arirang Cultural Foundation has hosted 306 performances of its flagship content, "Ari Arari," attracting approximately 78,000 audience members. Through joint performances with the National Museum of Korea and the National Gugak Center, as well as overseas invitations, the foundation has demonstrated the spread and competitiveness of Jeongseon Arirang. These achievements in performance have laid the groundwork for enhancing the overall quality of cultural content throughout the region.
Building on these foundations, the county has accelerated its transformation into a daily cultural city, achieving 253 alley concerts, 37 alley experience events, the operation of 39 community-based cultural hubs, and participation from over 2,000 residents, private sector participants, and artists.
Looking ahead, the county plans to further expand the Jeongseon-style collaborative governance cultural city model nationwide by opening the Jeongseon Station Healing Lounge, institutionalizing national heritage night tours, implementing nighttime cultural city strategies, expanding global Arirang exchanges, and creating a regional Arirang cultural belt connecting Jeongseon, Taebaek, Yeongwol, and Pyeongchang.
Kim Younghwan, Director of Planning, stated, "This award is an objective recognition of the achievements of our collaborative governance-based cultural policy, where cultural heritage, resident participation, policy and administration, and private sector execution have operated as a unified structure centered on Jeongseon Arirang. Jeongseon is moving beyond festival-centered culture to become a daily cultural city where residents’ everyday lives, spaces, tourism, and the economy are organically connected through Arirang. We will continue to further advance the Jeongseon-style cultural governance model in the future."
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