District recognized for embedding health equity across its policies

Nowon-gu District Mayor Seo Jun-o. [Nowon-gu]
Nowon-gu District Mayor Seo Jun-o. [Nowon-gu]

Nowon-gu announced Monday that it received the Innovation Award at the 2026 Korea Healthy City Awards. The win marks the eighth consecutive year the district has taken home the honor since 2019 — including one grand prize — reaffirming the strength of its Nowon-style healthy city policy.

The Korea Healthy City Awards are presented by the Korea Healthy Cities Partnership to identify and promote outstanding healthy city initiatives. This year, Nowon-gu was recognized for embedding health equity across its district administration and for improving systems and living environments so that all residents can enjoy a healthy life.

The district also received the Excellence in Dynamic Healthy City Award at the 2026 Alliance for Healthy Cities World Congress in September.

One of the district's signature achievements is the use of health impact assessments to improve its programs. Since 2023, Nowon-gu has analyzed how major projects affect residents' health and health disparities, then used those findings to develop policy improvements.

In practice, the district revised the selection criteria for a public jobs program that had disadvantaged low-income single-person households, and expanded the pool of beneficiaries eligible for its safety inspection and repair program for vulnerable households.

The district also built a foundation for residents to identify health issues themselves and participate in policymaking. Through collaboration between the health promotion and youth policy divisions, a health subcommittee was established within the youth policy network, giving young people a direct channel to flag physical, mental and social health concerns and propose policy solutions.

Nowon-gu has also worked to create a health-friendly living environment where anyone can walk, exercise and enjoy nature as part of daily life. Through 2025, the district repaired 48.57 kilometers of aging sidewalks and renovated 139 neighborhood and children's parks.

"We will continue to improve our policies and living environment so that all residents can lead healthy lives," District Mayor Seo Jun-o said.


ikson@heraldcorp.com