Goseong County in Gangwon Province and the Goseong Cultural Foundation were recognized as a leading model for cultural autonomy nationwide by winning the Excellence Award in the "Cultural Activity Revitalization" category at the "1st 2025 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Cultural Policy Concerto," hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters, a non-profit organization.
Goseong County and Goseong Cultural Foundation received the Excellence Award in the "Cultural Activity Revitalization" category at the "1st 2025 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Cultural Policy Concerto" hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters, a nonprofit corporation. Provided by Goseong County, Gangwon Province
This competition, held under the slogan "Culture, City, and Resilience," saw 160 cases submitted by 85 basic local governments nationwide. Goseong County presented an innovative cultural policy model that turned crisis into opportunity through its resident-led local resource exploration project, "Kongdak Kongdak Exploration Team."
Although Goseong County suffered the disappointment of not being selected as a cultural city in Korea in both 2022 and 2023, it instead used this as a turning point to establish a robust, resident-centered cultural autonomy ecosystem.
The award-winning program, "Kongdak Kongdak Exploration Team," is a program where residents themselves observe, document, and share the region's ecological, historical, and cultural resources, moving away from one-off, government-led initiatives. In particular, the program has been highly praised for its step-by-step growth, evolving from individual-based basic explorations in 2021 to group-based thematic explorations, and further expanding into a regional network encompassing Sokcho and Yangyang.
This award is not just a result of project performance, but the outcome of the trust in Goseong County’s administration and the expertise of the cultural foundation. Even after failing to be designated as a cultural city, Goseong County provided policy support, sharing in the small achievements of its residents, while foundation staff consolidated Goseong’s unique perspectives and aspirations to secure independent momentum for their projects.
The judging panel noted that, despite the region’s risk of extinction due to its border location and declining population, Goseong County has "redefined local identity in the language of its residents" and accumulated this as a policy asset, offering significant implications for other local governments.
The Goseong County Governor stated, "We saw new possibilities for resident-led and autonomous cultural governance, as the experience of pursuing a cultural city translated into trust on the ground." He emphasized, "What matters more than institutional frameworks is people, and this award is the result of the quiet perseverance of Goseong’s residents, the foundation, and the administration working together."
With this award as a stepping stone, Goseong County plans to institutionalize a system from 2026 in which exploration data recorded directly by residents will be reflected in future policy-making, and to further strengthen the East Coast living culture network.
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