Gwangju Seo-gu Council Member Ahn Hyeongju's "Resident Participation Point System" Approved...Expresses Gratitude to Residents

Explaining the Significance of the Ordinance Amendment Approval in a Five-Minute Speech at the 337th Extraordinary Session
"A Victory for Democracy Achieved by Seo-gu Residents Over 16 Months"

Ahn Hyeongju, Member of the Gwangju Seo-gu Council.

Ahn Hyeongju, a member of the Gwangju Seo-gu Council (representing Sangmu 2-dong, Seochang-dong, and Kumho 1 and 2-dong), announced during a five-minute speech at the 337th extraordinary session that the district's first resident-initiated ordinance, the "Gwangju Seo-gu Resident Participation Point System Ordinance," was amended and approved at the plenary session on January 23.

As a co-representative of the ordinance, Councilor Ahn emphasized that this achievement goes beyond the mere enactment of a single ordinance, highlighting it as a victory for grassroots democracy, accomplished over 1 year and 4 months through the joint efforts of the resident autonomy association presidents from 18 districts and numerous Seo-gu residents.

In reality, the process of this resident ordinance petition was not smooth.

Of the 3,850 signatures submitted in July last year, 1,190 were invalidated, presenting a crisis. However, during a 10-day correction period, an additional 1,616 signatures were collected, and ultimately, a total of 5,499 signatures were gathered, meeting the legal requirements.

Councilor Ahn stated, "While it is simple for a council member to personally propose an ordinance, such ordinances often become ineffective and ignored by residents due to a lack of publicity. Through this process, residents experienced the value of participation by signing, realizing 'I am directly creating an ordinance for Seo-gu,' and naturally came to understand the newly introduced point system."

Notably, at the 328th extraordinary session, Councilor Ahn took the lead in laying the institutional foundation by fully revising the "Ordinance on Resident Ordinance Initiatives" to lower the threshold for resident-initiated ordinances.

The "Gwangju Seo-gu Resident Participation Point System Ordinance," the first resident ordinance of the Seo-gu Council, is a system that allows residents to accumulate points based on their participation in various stages of district policy-making and implementation.

Councilor Ahn expressed, "I extend my deepest respect and gratitude to all residents, including the co-representatives who stayed with us until the end. I hope this case will serve as a progressive model where residents directly identify and institutionalize policies needed in their respective fields."

Meanwhile, the "Gwangju Seo-gu Resident Participation Point System Ordinance" is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, after processes such as budget allocation and system establishment are completed.