Fifth straight win from 2022 to 2026

Paju city received an institutional citation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the outstanding policy category at the 2026 Korea City Award ceremony hosted by the ministry on Wednesday.

With this, Paju has won the award for five consecutive years — the Land Ministry Award in 2022, a special award in 2023, and the Land Ministry Award in both 2024 and 2025. The city once again had its capacity for sustainable policy implementation recognized.

The Korea City Award is presented annually to local governments that demonstrate excellence in urban sustainability and quality-of-life infrastructure, recognizing cities that have worked to improve residents' quality of life and urban competitiveness.

As part of its climate change response efforts, Paju has been carrying out carbon-neutrality policies closely tied to residents' daily lives, earning strong reviews from evaluators. The city launched the country's first public renewable energy supply model based on direct power purchase agreements (PPA) and established an affordable electricity rate plan for residents. It also built an energy corridor across northern Gyeonggi Province and expanded renewable energy through policies such as the creation of a mini hydrogen city. Paju operates the ECO-ON integrated environmental center, runs RE100 citizen education programs, and introduced the Paju-style bus rapid transit system to build a low-carbon public transportation network.

"Following last year, we again received a favorable assessment for our climate change response policies this year," said Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan. "The ninth popularly elected Paju city government will steadily carry out sector-by-sector strategies to achieve a carbon-neutral city, creating changes that residents can feel."


pjh@heraldcorp.com