Gwanak District Receives Ministry of Interior and Safety's 'Special Award' in Participatory Budgeting Performance Evaluation

Selected as an Outstanding Local Government in Public Safety

Gwanak District in Seoul (District Mayor Park Junhee) has been selected as an outstanding local government in the field of public safety, receiving a special award in the '2025 Participatory Budgeting System Performance Evaluation' organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Gwanak District Office exterior. Provided by Gwanak District.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducts this performance evaluation annually for 243 local governments nationwide to ensure resident participation in the budgeting process and to promote budget transparency.

The district was recognized for its effective identification of safety projects tailored to local characteristics and for implementing a prevention-oriented administration. Among the 35 participatory budgeting projects executed this year, with a total budget of 1.37 billion KRW, the district discovered and carried out numerous projects in the public safety sector.

The active involvement of the Participatory Budget Committee and the extensive collection of residents' opinions throughout the entire process-from budget planning to execution, settlement, and feedback-also received high praise.

A representative example is the 'Saedeul Children's Park Safe Street Project' in Sillim-dong. Based on a proposal from the Sillim-dong Participatory Budget Committee in May last year, yellow carpets, yellow footprints, glow-in-the-dark paint, and LED road markers were installed. This initiative not only protects vulnerable road users such as children and the elderly but also contributes to creating a safer environment for women returning home at night.

For next year, the district has allocated about 83% (24 out of 29) of its planned projects to the public safety sector. Major projects with a total budget of 1.1 billion KRW include maintenance of hiking trails (Yaksusa), installation of smart sunshades (Yeongnak High School), installation of CCTV at Oseong Children's Park, and installation of nighttime safety lighting (Sinhwa Bridge).

Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak District, stated, "This award is the result of our continuous efforts to make communication and cooperation the core values of district administration and to realize grassroots participatory democracy," adding, "We will continue to listen to residents' voices and do our utmost to create a happy and safe Gwanak District for everyone."