The Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City is moving forward with plans to consolidate citizen communication channels previously operated separately in Jeonnam and Gwangju, expanding the Citizen Policy Participation Group to a total of 145,000 members.
In line with administrative integration, the initiative aims to unify the dispersed policy participation channels and establish a system where citizen proposals lead to policy decisions, implementation, and result disclosures.
On October 23, the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City held the third task force meeting at the Muan Government Complex to discuss the integration of an online citizen policy participation communication platform and strategies to enhance citizen engagement.
The core of this initiative is to merge the existing 'Gwangju ON' platform with Jeonnam's 'Communication People Jeonnam' into a single online platform.
The goal is to create a common communication channel where any citizen, regardless of their region, can propose policies and provide feedback, replacing the previously separate systems.
Since August, a task force comprising relevant departments and experts has been reviewing the direction for platform integration.
In earlier meetings, the focus was set on establishing a 'citizen sovereignty platform' that connects citizen proposals to deliberation processes, policy incorporation, and feedback on outcomes.
This structure aims not only to collect citizen opinions but also to inform them about how their proposals are reviewed and reflected in policies, as well as the actual results of those policies.
Additionally, discussions included expanding the Citizen Policy Participation Group, improving online accessibility, and providing incentives to encourage citizen participation.
During the third meeting on the 23rd, experts from community support centers and the Jeonnam Research Institute participated to compare and review methods for building the new system and improving the functions of the existing system for integrated operation.
Particular attention was given to the stability of system construction and operation, user convenience, and the platform's name, focusing on practical needs during the operational phase.
Specific goals were also presented to expand the scale of citizen participation.
The special city plans to add 100,000 members to the existing 45,000-member Citizen Policy Participation Group currently centered in Gwangju, bringing the total to 145,000.
The aim is to broaden participation to all cities and counties under the jurisdiction of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City, ensuring diverse opinions from various regions and social strata are reflected in the policy-making process.
This expansion is significant as it extends the previously Gwangju-centric online policy participation base to the entire integrated special city.
However, to ensure that the increase in the participation group translates into actual policy engagement, it will be necessary to reduce regional disparities in participation and clarify the criteria for processing citizen proposals and the procedures for disclosing results.
Particularly, enhancing accessibility for elderly residents and those with limited access to information will be a key challenge to ensure easy participation.
The special city plans to review the expert opinions presented during this meeting and refine the system integration approach, aiming to operate the integrated platform by 2027.
Kang Kyung-moon, head of the Citizen Sovereignty Policy Division of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City, stated, "We will actively review the opinions presented in this meeting to establish an integrated communication channel that allows all citizens to participate easily and conveniently by next year. We aim to develop a citizen sovereignty platform where citizens' voices are reflected in policies and they can feel the results."
The establishment of this integrated platform is noteworthy as it aims to unify the method of collecting citizen opinions following the administrative integration of Jeonnam and Gwangju and expand opportunities for participation in the policy-making process.
The effectiveness of the platform will be evaluated not only by the number of members in the Citizen Policy Participation Group but also by the actual number of proposals submitted, the extent of policy incorporation, and the level of transparency in disclosing results.
Meanwhile, the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City has been operating a task force since August to build the online citizen policy participation platform. The special city plans to operate an integrated communication channel by 2027, incorporating citizen proposals, deliberation, policy reflection, and result sharing functionalities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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