Hampyeong County Wins Grand Prize for Best Practices in Rural Living Conditions Improvement Project

Achievements of Resident-Led Community Revitalization Model Recognized

Hampyeong County, South Jeolla Province, was recognized for its achievements in resident-led community revitalization models at the Rural Vulnerable Area Living Conditions Improvement Project Performance Sharing Conference, winning the grand prize in the Best Practices category.

Hampyeong County Office Building.

On May 28, Hampyeong County announced that it had received the grand prize in the Best Practices category at the "1st Rural Vulnerable Area Living Conditions Improvement Project Performance Sharing Conference" held at the Government Convention Center in Sejong City on May 27.

The "Living Conditions Improvement Project for Vulnerable Rural Areas" is a project pursued to improve the residential environment of rural residents and to promote community revitalization.

This performance sharing conference was held for the first time to share achievements of the project, which has been implemented over the past 11 years, and to discover and disseminate exemplary cases. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development, and organized by the Korea Rural Community Corporation. More than 200 people, including village residents, field activists, and local government officials, attended the event.

The evaluation for exemplary cases was conducted on 827 project sites that were completed or are in progress from 2015 to 2026. Through an initial review by experts and consulting for each case, five villages nationwide, including Hampyeong County, were selected as the final presenters.

During the on-site presentation, the county introduced the ▲ resident-led project process, ▲ achievements in improving residential conditions, and ▲ cases of community revitalization, receiving a positive response. In particular, it was highly regarded as a distinguished case for not simply stopping at facility improvements, but for establishing a "performance diffusion model" that enables continued resident participation and community activities even after the project is completed.

Furthermore, the fact that residents themselves participated in improving the village environment and operating community programs, thereby spreading the impact of the project throughout the region, drew attention from the judges and on-site evaluation panel. As a result of the on-site voting, Hampyeong County received the highest score and was selected for the grand prize.

Hampyeong County received the grand prize (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award, prize money of 5 million won), while the top excellence award went to Jangbang Village in Gimhae, and the excellence award went to Baegun Village in Okcheon. Mugeo Village in Jinan and Chadong Village in Yesan received honorable mentions.

A Hampyeong County official stated, "This grand prize is the result of collaboration among residents, the administration, and intermediary support organizations," adding, "We will continue to build a sustainable rural village model that lasts beyond the project period, striving to improve residents' quality of life and revitalize the region."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.