Yeongcheon Wins Special Administrative Award, Gyeongju Enhances Cultural Heritage, Gyeongsan Excels in Ssireum, Cheongdo Expands Comprehensive Elderly Welfare

Yeongcheon City Receives "Special Award" in Gyeongsangbuk-do City and County Assessment
Gyeongju City Enhances the Prestige of "Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond"
Gyeongsan City Successfully Concludes Jaein Dano Festival Ssireum Competition
Cheongdo County Launches 83.3 Billion Won "Elderly Welfare Policy"

The local governments of Yeongcheon, Gyeongsan, Cheongdo, and Gyeongju are each making energetic strides in multiple areas, including the recognition of administrative achievements, preservation of cultural heritage, revitalization of local festivals, and tailored welfare initiatives in response to a super-aged society.

Yeongcheon City has achieved excellent results in a government assessment, Gyeongju City is taking steps to manage cultural assets, Gyeongsan City successfully concluded a Ssireum wrestling competition in celebration of the Dano Festival, and Cheongdo County is drawing attention for announcing comprehensive happiness policies for the elderly.

Yeongcheon City Hall Panorama

Yeongcheon City has been honored with the "Special Award" in the city category at the "2026 Gyeongsangbuk-do City and County Assessment," a joint government evaluation organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

This assessment, based on 2025 performance, covered 22 cities and counties in the province using 88 quantitative and 12 qualitative indicators, reflecting comprehensive achievements across all administrative sectors.

Yeongcheon City received high marks for systematically managing these indicators through an organic interdepartmental collaboration system and continuously improving administrative services closely related to citizens.

The city plans to allocate the entire 50 million won in prize money from this award to projects aimed at enhancing citizen convenience and improving administrative services.

Gyeongju City is launching large-scale water quality and aquatic plant maintenance projects to improve the landscape and preserve the ecological environment of Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, which are representative cultural heritage sites of the Silla royal capital.

Gyeongju City is promoting environmental maintenance projects such as aquatic plant removal in Wolji Pond to manage the beautiful scenery and improve water quality of Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. Photo by Gyeongju City

In response to complaints about diminished scenery due to the recent spread of aquatic plants, the city will invest 200 million won by November this year to remove aquatic plants from a 13,000-square-meter area of the pond, with removal taking place 10 times annually.

In particular, during the peak breeding season in July and August, maintenance will be carried out twice a month.

Additionally, the city will spend 9 million won to conduct water quality tests at the inflow, outflow, and middle points of the pond (10 times per year, on the third week of each month until December) to prevent odors and algal blooms.

Joo Nakyoung, Mayor of Gyeongju, stated, "We will continue to develop this historic and cultural space so that both citizens and tourists can enjoy it comfortably."

In Gyeongsan City, the passion for traditional folk sports has made the local festival atmosphere even more vibrant.

Gyeongsan City successfully hosted the '2026 Gyeongsan Jain Dano Festival Commemorative National University Wrestlers and General Division Ssireum Competition.' Photo by Gyeongsan City

On June 20, the city successfully hosted the "2026 Gyeongsan Jaein Dano Festival Commemorative National University and General Division Ssireum Wrestling Competition" at the Jain Gyejeong Forest Ssireum Arena.

The university team event featured eight university wrestling teams from across the country, including Yeungnam University, Daegu University, and Kyonggi University, engaging in fierce matches, with Yeungnam University ultimately taking first place.

Furthermore, many citizens participated in the open general division, further amplifying the festive spirit.

In particular, the prize money won by the female champions in the general division will be donated in full to help local neighbors in need, adding a heartwarming touch to the community.

In Cheongdo County, where approximately 47.5% of the total population (19,014 people) are aged 65 or older, the county is launching a full-scale, tailored elderly welfare policy amounting to 83.3 billion won that encompasses respect and care for seniors.

Cheongdo County is accelerating efforts to create a "Happy City for Seniors" by promoting customized welfare policies for the elderly. Photo by Cheongdo County

Cheongdo County is presenting longevity congratulatory payments of 1 million won and Cheongryeo sticks to 21 centenarians—three times the national average—while also awarding the "Happy Couple Prize" to couples aged 70 or older to promote filial piety and respect for elders.

Additionally, the county has invested 10.2 billion won this year to create jobs for 2,262 seniors through programs such as "Clean Senior Center" and "Senior-to-Senior Care."

Especially, Cheongdo County is fostering 320 senior centers as multipurpose welfare spaces and is expanding "Smart Senior Centers" equipped with two-way video systems using 600 million won secured from national funding competitions.

Moreover, a comprehensive care system is in operation to prevent solitary deaths, including the operation of Onnuri Welfare Center (Cheongdo Onnuri College) as a leisure and culture hub, meal delivery and emergency safety services for low-income and elderly people living alone.

A Cheongdo County official stated, "By paying meticulous attention to honoring longevity, creating jobs, and providing care, we aim to establish a model city for elderly welfare that represents all of Korea."

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