Suwon Special Municipality Wins Grand Prize for "15th Local Government Productivity Awards" from Ministry of Interior and Safety

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Chung Jun-sung] Suwon Special Municipality won the Grand Prize (Prime Minister's Commendation) at the "15th Local Government Productivity Awards." The awards ceremony was held on the 18th at the Grand Hall of Building 12 of the Government Sejong Complex.

The Productivity Awards, hosted by the Ministry of Interior and Safety and organized by the Korea Productivity Center (KPC), evaluate efforts and capacity of basic local governments for improving residents' quality of life and public services based on objective statistics.

Among 226 local governments nationwide, the awards analyze 2 domains, 7 fields, and 18 indicators, calculate comprehensive productivity indices, and select excellent local governments. The evaluation fields are △population management capacity △regional economy capacity △administration and finance capacity △care and welfare △safety and health △education and culture △environment.

The city received excellent evaluations in the regional economy and administration/finance fields. In particular, it received top-tier grades in △youth employment growth rate △economic activity participation growth rate △comprehensive proactive administration assessment △fiscal independence indicators and received positive evaluations overall. It also scored highly in total fertility rate increase, local government integrity, regional safety index, local residents' health, usage level of lifelong education facilities, and regional environmental management level.

Suwon First Vice Mayor Kim Hyun-soo said, "Suwon achieved 2nd place in the 'Assessment of Livable Cities' hosted by the Korean Institute of Local Administration, and receiving the Grand Prize in this Productivity Awards proves once again that Suwon is a livable city, which makes us happy," and added, "We will continue our efforts to ensure that various endeavors for Suwon's development lead to improved quality of life for our citizens."