Yeongdeungpo District Recruiting 200 Participants for Resident Direct Democracy "Minhoe"

Applications Accepted Until October 20
Final Policy Agendas Selected Through Preliminary Debates

Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul (headed by District Mayor Jo Yoojin) announced on September 2 that it will be recruiting 200 participants for the democracy festival "Minhoe," where residents can directly propose and discuss local agendas, later to be reflected in policy. The recruitment will continue until October 20 this year.

Provided by Yeongdeungpo-gu.

The name "Minhoe" originates from "Ekklesia," the ancient Athenian citizens’ assembly meaning "gathered people." In Yeongdeungpo District, this event operates as a public forum of direct democracy, where residents come together to deliberate regional issues from multiple angles and decide the final direction of key district matters through debate and real-time voting. The event is designed to realize the "residents' sovereignty," a core value of the constitutional city pursued by Yeongdeungpo District's 9th popularly elected administration, together with its residents.

After the general call for applicants, participants will be selected through a random draw from among those who applied. Any resident whose registered address is within Yeongdeungpo District as of the date of announcement is eligible to apply.

Residents who wish to participate can apply online via the Yeongdeungpo District Office website or by scanning the QR code provided in promotional materials. Alternatively, applications can also be submitted in person at the residents' center of the applicant’s neighborhood.

Selected participants will attend the first and second preliminary debate sessions, which will be held in the gymnasium on the 5th floor of the Yeongdeungpo-dong Residents’ Center in November. After discussing the agendas proposed by residents and collected through online platforms, three to five representative topics will be chosen through real-time voting.

Subsequently, at the main event "Minhoe," set to take place in early December, representatives will discuss these agendas and determine the final policy direction for Yeongdeungpo District. The district office plans to proactively incorporate the agendas selected through Minhoe into next year’s administration of district affairs.

District Mayor Jo Yoojin stated, “Resident sovereignty guaranteed by the Constitution is not just an abstract slogan, but is truly fulfilled when residents directly discuss and decide on policies that directly impact their lives,” adding, “I sincerely encourage all residents to actively participate in this journey toward genuine democracy, where residents are the true owners.”

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