City launches 2026 Basic Society Policy Idea Contest

Siheung is holding the "2026 Siheung Basic Society Policy Idea Contest" to build a society where all residents can enjoy fundamental rights through policies proposed by citizens themselves.

The contest was organized to gather policy ideas aimed at guaranteeing a basic standard of living, drawing on the needs and inconveniences residents experience in their daily lives, with the goal of incorporating winning proposals into city administration.

Submissions are accepted across Siheung's 13 basic society categories: basic income, residential, care, healthcare, education, culture, food, safety, transportation, environment and energy, labor and employment, AI and communications, and social solidarity economy.

Any member of the public with an interest in Siheung or the basic society initiative is eligible to participate. Those wishing to enter can download the application form from the notices and announcements board on the Siheung city government website, fill it out, and submit it by 6 p.m. on Sept. 18 either by email to the designated officer or in person at the Policy Planning Division of Siheung City Hall.

Four outstanding entries will receive a mayor's award along with a combined prize pool of 700,000 won ($503). The top prize winner will receive 300,000 won, the excellence award winner 200,000 won, and two encouragement award winners 100,000 won each. All prize money will be paid in Siheung's local currency, "Siru," in the form of paper gift certificates.

Final results will be announced Oct. 20 through the Siheung city government website.

Lee Deok-hwan, head of Siheung's Planning and Coordination Office, said "a basic society should not be designed by the administration alone — it must start from the lives and voices of citizens," adding that he hoped residents would freely propose the inconveniences they experience in daily life and the policies they believe are needed.

Further details about the contest are available on the notices and announcements board of the Siheung city website, or by contacting the Basic Society Team within the city's Policy Planning Division.


pjh@heraldcorp.com