Gwangmyeong Selects First Dong Chief by Residents' Vote... Resident Participation Administration Takes Full Shape

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yoo Je-sung] Gwangmyeong City held a pledge presentation meeting and resident evaluation panel vote for the Resident-Selected Dong Chief Appointment System at the conference room of the Gwangmyeong District 6 Administrative Welfare Center on the 13th.

The 'Resident-Selected Dong Chief Appointment System' is a pilot project for 'Dong Chief Recruitment System,' which was a campaign promise of the 8th civil administration. It was introduced to align with the national project's 'Resident-Selected Eup, Myeon, and Dong Chief Appointment System,' strengthening resident participation and local autonomy. The city selected Gwangmyeong District 6 as the pilot district through internal discussions.

The resident evaluation panel was composed through open recruitment from Gwangmyeong District 6 residents, and candidates—civil servants within Gwangmyeong City who met qualification requirements—were finalized as two individuals after document review and interview screening.

The event proceeded in order: candidate pledge presentation, resident Q&A;, and resident evaluation panel vote. For resident evaluation panel members unable to attend in person, a YouTube live broadcast was conducted in parallel to expand participation.

Candidate No. 1 Hong Chan-yong from the Urban Gardening Division presented 'Village Gardens Cultivated Together with Residents' as his core pledge, based on experience in gardening administration.

Candidate No. 2 Ban Young-mi from the Employment and Economy Division presented her vision as 'Establishing a Life Care System, Building a Dense Safety Net, and Spreading a Culture of Sharing,' based on diverse administrative experience.

Following the pledge presentation, a resident evaluation panel vote was conducted using the Central Election Management Commission's online voting system.

Elected candidate Ban Young-mi said, "I deeply thank all residents who trusted and selected me," and pledged "I will do my best for the district's development and improvement of residents' quality of life."

The elected candidate will be officially appointed as dong chief at the regular personnel reshuffle in January next year following a decision by the city's personnel committee.

Mayor Park Seung-won stated, "The Resident-Selected Dong Chief Appointment System is significant in that residents directly choose their local chief public official," and added, "I hope this pilot project becomes an opportunity to further strengthen the foundation of resident participation administration."