Hwasun County Selected as Best Institution in Local Government Innovation Evaluation

A Remarkable First-Place Achievement Among 82 Counties Nationwide

Commemorative photo marking selection as the top institution in the 2025 local government innovation evaluation. Provided by Hwasun-gun.

Hwasun-gun in South Jeolla Province announced on the 24th that it had been selected as the Best Institution after ranking first nationwide in the "2025 Local Government Innovation Evaluation" organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

On the 23rd, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducted a comprehensive evaluation of 11 indicators, including innovation capacity and innovation performance, for 243 local governments (metropolitan and basic) nationwide, and selected and announced 61 excellent institutions. Among them, Hwasun-gun ranked first out of 82 counties (gun) nationwide, earning the honor of being named the Best Institution.

The county received high marks for actively promoting communication- and cooperation-based administration in line with the new government's innovation direction, as well as resident-centered policies incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies.

In particular, major best practices included: the establishment of an "emergency safety net" that helped eliminate blind spots in medical welfare, such as by expanding 24-hour emergency room operations; the introduction of the "Mom-Friendly 100-Won Taxi Card Payment System," which improved the existing paper-based voucher method; "smart remote metering," which uses IoT to provide accurate and efficient water services; and a project to install "smart care plugs" to prevent care blind spots among high-risk groups for solitary deaths.

Hwasun-gun Mayor Koo Bokkyu said, "This achievement is the result of communicating with residents, finding answers in the field, and the efforts of all public officials driven by a strong will to innovate," adding, "We will continue to discover and implement policies that residents can feel in their daily lives, and make Hwasun an even better place to live."