Gyeonggi Province Selects Pyeongtaek City for Public Conflict Management Excellence Award
Pyeongtaek City's case of "conflict resolution through the Neighbor Dispute Mediation Center" has been selected for the 2026 Public Conflict Management Excellence Award by Gyeonggi Province.
Gyeonggi Province is strengthening conflict response capabilities across institutions by sharing public conflict resolution cases that arose during policy implementation with 31 cities, counties, and public organizations. The province received a total of eight cases in July and conducted written reviews from July 29 to August 7 based on case appropriateness, conflict resolution preparation, process, and outcomes.
In particular, since public conflicts are difficult to resolve in the short term, emphasis was placed on the process of resolving conflicts through communication and mediation among stakeholders.
Pyeongtaek City, which received the grand prize, received high praise for establishing a resident-participatory conflict management system by operating the "Neighbor Dispute Mediation Center" jointly with Pyeongtaek YMCA, a private consignment organization, conducting over 350 counseling sessions and over 150 mediation cases annually. The city led reconciliation and mediation between parties by visiting sites where conflicts among residents occurred, including noise between floors, parking disputes, and smoking issues, and strengthened communication among residents through the operation of "communication rooms" at the village level and children's awareness education using puppet theater.
The grand prize (best case award) was given to Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation's case of "integrated operation of special transportation vehicles in Gyeonggi Province through communication and innovation." In response to user complaints and conflicts between institutions resulting from delays in dispatching disabled person call taxis and call center overload, Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation improved its operational system by integrating operating standards for 31 cities and counties.
The excellence award was given to Gwacheon City's case of "resolution of illegal street vending through continuous communication and institutional development." Gwacheon City resolved the street vendor issue at Guldari Market, which had persisted for over 40 years, by meeting with merchants individually, maintaining ongoing discussions, and encouraging voluntary withdrawal. The city also removed the remaining eight locations without physical conflict, restoring the pedestrian environment.
The encouragement award was given to Yongin City's case of "healthcare clinic operation policy decided through communication." Triggered by a petition from 1,295 residents regarding the closure and consolidation of health clinics, Yongin City conducted a conflict impact analysis and decided to maintain the current permanent operation system for seven health clinics.
Kim Sang-pal, head of Gyeonggi Province's Autonomous Administration Division, said, "In public conflicts, the process of creating solutions through sufficient communication and mediation among stakeholders is important," and added, "We will present certificates of commendation from the provincial governor to the four selected institutions and plan to expand excellent conflict management experiences from the field throughout the province."