Breaking the Government Mold with 'Short-Form Video and AI'... Haenam County Wins Korea SNS Awards Grand Prize for Second Straight Year

Eight Consecutive Years of Awards: Haenam Shines as a "Digital Communications Champion"
AI Character Videos Win Praise... A New Approach to Promoting Policies

Breaking away from the stiff conventions of government publicity, officials in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, have demonstrated a lively new style of communication by parodying popular memes and incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), once again proving the county's leading social media communication capabilities in South Korea.

Haenam County, part of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, has established itself as a model of innovative digital administration, winning the grand prize at the 2026 Korea SNS Awards for the second consecutive year.

Haenam County won the grand prize in the county category at the 16th Korea SNS Awards. Photo provided by Haenam County.

According to Haenam County on Oct. 26, it won the grand prize in the county category for basic local governments at the 16th Korea SNS Awards, organized by the Korea Social Contents Promotion Association.

With this win, the county has not only extended its award-winning streak to eight consecutive years since 2019, but also achieved the distinction of being the only metropolitan or basic local government in Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City to take home the grand prize. A total of 135 organizations competed in this year's awards.

The achievement is attributed to the county's distinctive content planning under the theme "AI Innovation Blossoming at the Land's End, Haenam County Opening the Future."

In particular, the county won a strong response from social media users by moving away from one-way, rigid information delivery and having officials appear in front of the camera themselves to share county news in a lively way through popular memes and witty staging.

The county also drew attention with its distinctive use of AI technology for promotion. Its official characters, Huimang-i and Ttangkkeum-i, appeared as the stars of AI-generated videos, presenting major issues and policies closely related to residents' daily lives through entertaining skits and showcasing new possibilities for publicizing policies.

The county also excelled with strategies tailored to each platform. It quickly shared practical information on welfare and events through Facebook, while using stylish short videos on Instagram and YouTube to capture the lively atmosphere of local festivals and tourist attractions, offering both information and entertainment.

The county also received high marks for expanding opportunities for two-way communication in which residents and tourists could participate and engage directly. These efforts included using the Ttangkkeut Sori social media reporters and local influencers to discover hidden attractions, as well as broadcasting live in real time.

A county official said, "Winning the grand prize for the second consecutive year is a valuable achievement made possible together with residents and social media users who have consistently shown interest in and affection for Haenam County's social media." The official added, "We will continue to actively use new digital technologies and fresh ideas to communicate more closely with residents and do our utmost to promote Haenam's unique appeal far and wide."

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