Ma Chae-suk, Seoul Tourism Foundation and Seoul Women and Family Foundation honored
From women and family welfare to tourism promotion, citizen-centered policies recognized
Awards highlight efforts to boost civic well-being and urban competitiveness
Key policies and administrative achievements by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that have helped raise residents' quality of life and strengthen the city's competitiveness drew recognition Friday. Efforts spanning welfare programs for women and families, initiatives to bolster Seoul's standing as a global tourism destination, and citizen-focused policy research and support were all honored for driving administrative innovation across diverse fields.
The 2026 Seoul Assembly Policy Awards ceremony, organized by Herald Media Group, was held Friday at Seminar Room 3 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Ma Chae-suk, director general of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Division, Kim Byeong-min, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Foundation, and Park Jeong-suk, CEO of the Seoul Women and Family Foundation each received honors in the administration (Seoul Metropolitan Government) category.
Established for the first time this year, the Seoul Assembly Policy Awards were created to identify outstanding policies and administrative cases that have brought tangible change to citizens' daily lives and to share those achievements widely. The awards place particular emphasis on the public value and effectiveness of policies, their impact on residents' lives, and the sharing of exemplary policy experiences as a way to chart a course for sustainable administrative development.
This year's administration category winners drew attention for recognizing policy efforts pursued across different fields under the shared goal of improving civic happiness and quality of life.
Ma was recognized for administrative work aimed at improving welfare and living conditions for a broad range of policy beneficiaries, including women, children and families.
Seoul's women and family policies focus on building a support system that residents can feel in their daily lives, amid a rapidly changing social environment marked by a low birth rate, caregiving burdens and increasingly diverse family structures.
The city has pursued policies closely tied to residents' lives — supporting work-life balance, strengthening the public dimension of caregiving, expanding women's participation in society and creating healthy environments for children to grow up in.
Ma's award underscored that women and family policy has become a core urban policy — one that goes beyond supporting specific groups to enhance the stability and well-being of all citizens.
The Seoul Tourism Foundation was recognized for its efforts to strengthen Seoul's tourism competitiveness and invigorate the tourism industry.
The foundation draws on Seoul's diverse tourism assets — its history, culture and natural environment — to promote the city's distinct appeal at home and abroad and to raise its profile as a global tourism destination.
It has worked to identify new tourism content in response to shifting visitor demand, improve convenience for both domestic and international tourists, and promote tourism by linking local attractions.
The tourism industry is a major engine of urban economic growth, connecting not just visitor arrivals but also accommodation, food, shopping, and culture and arts sectors. The foundation's recognition highlighted how tourism policy can contribute to local economic vitality, job creation and the enhancement of a city's brand value.
The Seoul Women and Family Foundation was recognized for its policy research and field-centered projects aimed at improving the lives of women and families.
The foundation conducts policy development and programs across a range of areas, including gender equality research, support for women's economic activity, improvements to caregiving environments, and support for children's healthy development.
Recently, the foundation has pursued projects tailored to policy demand — responding to new social challenges arising from the changing digital environment, supporting women's career development and economic independence, and running programs to foster the social and emotional development of infants and young children.
A particular emphasis has been placed on translating needs identified in the field into systemic improvements and concrete support programs, rather than stopping at policy research. These efforts contribute to addressing the diverse social challenges facing women and families and to building a foundation on which all citizens can enjoy stable lives.
The Seoul Assembly Policy Awards are expected to continue identifying outstanding policies and administrative cases that citizens can feel in their daily lives, sharing those achievements and raising the accountability of public administration and the effectiveness of policy.
The administration category winners again underscored that the true value of policies that change people's lives lies not in grand slogans but in concrete, everyday improvements that citizens can actually feel.
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
