'Citizen-led manifesto governance'

First South Korean local government to receive the honor; residents involved in every stage of campaign pledges

Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee (left) receives the special prize at the 20th OIDP Participatory Democracy Awards. [Gwanak-gu]
Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee (left) receives the special prize at the 20th OIDP Participatory Democracy Awards. [Gwanak-gu]

Gwanak-gu in Seoul said Wednesday it had won a special prize at the 20th OIDP Participatory Democracy Awards for its "Beyond Promises: Gwanak-gu Citizen-Led Manifesto Governance" initiative — the first South Korean local government to receive the honor.

The OIDP Participatory Democracy Awards are presented by the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (OIDP), an international network under the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). The award recognizes outstanding examples of participatory democracy at the local government level and promotes their adoption worldwide.

This year's competition drew a record 188 submissions from 41 countries. After an initial screening, 40 cases advanced to the final round, and Gwanak-gu's citizen-led manifesto governance model claimed the special prize following a final evaluation and public vote.

The model departs from the conventional approach in which local administrations unilaterally carry out campaign pledges made during elections. Instead, it establishes a framework that allows residents to take an active role at every stage — from proposing and finalizing pledges to monitoring their implementation and evaluating outcomes.

During the eighth elected term, the district incorporated residents' input to jointly design six overarching goals and 60 key campaign pledges. Resident participation bodies have since conducted ongoing reviews of pledge implementation, and a policy advisory panel has put forward 103 policy proposals. Also notable is "Gwanak-cheong," a direct dialogue program in which the district mayor meets residents in person; it has been held 571 times to date, gathering input from about 2,000 residents.

Through this systematic, resident-driven approach to pledge management, Gwanak-gu achieved a campaign pledge fulfillment rate of 99.8 percent during the eighth elected term.

In addition, Gwanak-gu operates a participatory budgeting committee that allows residents to take part directly in district affairs. The participatory budget process guarantees residents a role in budget planning while enhancing the transparency and public accountability of fiscal management. Last year, 35 projects were selected through participatory budget consultations.

"We will continue to advance citizen-led participatory democracy — where residents' voices become policy and promises made to residents translate into real change," District Mayor Park Jun-hee said.


ikson@heraldcorp.com