Ordinance revision to foster gaming and esports industry strengthens future cultural content competitiveness
Kim leads push to expand Jamsil tourism zone, reinstall Mongchon Moat music fountain
Field-focused legislative work on school sports facilities and tourism draws high marks
Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Gwang-cheol (People Power Party, Songpa 2) has received the Seoul Metropolitan Council category award at the 2026 Seoul Assembly Policy Awards, in recognition of contributions to policy development in culture, tourism and sports and to resolving local community issues.
At the ceremony held Friday at Seminar Room 3 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Kim was praised for identifying policies closely tied to residents' daily lives and translating community voices into tangible institutional improvements.
The awards ceremony was organized by Herald Media Group and co-hosted by the Seoul Assembly Press Research Society and the Korea Culture, Arts and Sports Promotion Institute. It was established to identify outstanding policies and legislative achievements that have improved residents' lives and created social value, and to help spread those results more widely.
Kim, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, has put forward policy alternatives across a range of areas, including strengthening the competitiveness of the tourism industry, fostering cultural content and improving the sports environment. Kim has focused not only on revising ordinances and proposing policies, but also on producing concrete results through consultations with relevant agencies and on-site inspections.
Among the most notable achievements is the strengthening of the institutional foundation for the gaming and esports industry. A partial amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on Fostering the Gaming Industry and Supporting Esports Activation, which Kim introduced, passed the plenary session of the 339th extraordinary session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.
The ordinance revision focused on reinforcing the policy support framework for the gaming and esports industry and raising its competitiveness. It has been credited with laying an institutional foundation to nurture the cultural content industry — which holds strong future growth potential — while broadening opportunities for citizens to enjoy cultural experiences.
Kim's efforts to revitalize the local economy and tourism industry also drew attention. Kim pushed for a policy forum on expanding and activating the Jamsil Tourism Special Zone, exploring ways to channel Songpa-gu's rich tourism resources into growth for the local commercial district.
Kim said the area's historical, cultural and tourism assets needed to be linked together, and called for policies that would extend tourists' length of stay and inject real vitality into the local economy. The approach — pursuing tourism infrastructure expansion and commercial district revitalization in tandem — was recognized as a standout example of policy thinking aimed at regional development.
Legislative work to improve residents' living environment continued on other fronts as well. In August, Kim used a five-minute open-floor speech at the Seoul Metropolitan Council to propose reinstalling the music fountain at Mongchon Moat in Olympic Park. In September, Kim organized a joint meeting involving the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Songpa-gu and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, among other agencies, to examine the feasibility of the project in concrete terms.
Through that process, discussions covered each agency's role and plans for operating and managing the facility, laying the groundwork for moving a long-unresolved local issue into an active implementation phase. The effort was cited as an example of field-focused legislative work that went beyond simply raising a problem to securing cooperation among relevant agencies.
In education and sports, Kim also worked to reflect community voices in policy. Regarding improvements to the archery training facility at Bangyi Elementary School, Kim listened directly to the views of parents and school officials and continued consultations with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the Gangdong-Songpa District Office of Education and other relevant agencies.
While seeking ways to support students in training in a safe and comfortable environment, Kim also visited sports sites to encourage athletes and coaches, and paid attention to the balanced development of elite and recreational sports.
Through this range of activity — from medium- and long-term policy goals such as fostering the future cultural industry to immediate concerns directly affecting residents' lives, including tourism promotion and school sports facility improvements — Kim has pursued a broad legislative agenda. The work has been recognized as particularly meaningful for its focus on translating citizens' needs into concrete policy and finding solutions through cooperation with administrative agencies.
In acceptance remarks, Kim said, "I see this award as encouragement for legislative work that has meant constantly running to listen closely to citizens' voices and resolve local problems." Kim added, "With the conviction that the answers are always found in the field, I will not neglect even the smallest voice of any single citizen."
Kim went on to say that the true measure of legislative achievement lies not in receiving an award but in how much positive change has been brought to citizens' daily lives, and expressed a commitment to identifying effective policies in areas closely tied to residents' lives — including tourism, culture, sports and education — and ensuring that long-standing local issues translate into concrete results.
Kim said the award would serve as a new starting point, and pledged to do everything possible to raise Seoul's urban competitiveness beyond the development of Songpa-gu and to deliver policy outcomes that every citizen can feel.
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
