Gwangju City Learns from Best Practices in Resident Autonomy Projects in Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam Province

[Suwon Ilbo=Eom In-yong] Gwangju City conducted '2026 Best Practices in Resident Autonomy Projects' on the 17th in the Hongseong-gun area, Chungcheongnam Province.

The initiative was carried out with participation of 28 people including resident autonomy committee chairpersons, presidents, and office directors from each eup, myeon, and dong to discover resident autonomy project models suited to local characteristics and establish the foundation for Gwangju-style resident autonomy projects.

Participants visited the Janggokmyeon Resident Autonomy Committee in Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam Province, to receive briefings on major project implementation processes and operational cases, and toured relevant project sites.

The Janggokmyeon Resident Autonomy Committee has established a model in which residents directly participate in addressing rural environmental issues through the agricultural waste collection support project 'If you cannot discard it, it's garbage; if you collect it properly, it's a resource,' addressing issues such as waste vinyl and pesticide bottles. The committee won an award of excellence at the 21st National Resident Autonomy Exposition.

During this visit, participants examined cases of resident-participatory projects including visiting environmental education, agricultural waste collection support, and publication of Janggokmyeon newsletters, and exchanged opinions on ways to incorporate these into resident autonomy initiatives in Gwangju City.

Park Ho-yeon, chairperson of the Gwangju City Resident Autonomy Council, stated, "Resident autonomy grows further in the process where residents themselves discover and resolve local issues," and added, "Based on the best practices confirmed through this comparative review, we will actively discover resident autonomy projects suited to Gwangju City's circumstances and work to expand resident participation and revitalize local communities."