Seongnam City Wins Excellence Award at Korea SNS Awards; "Wirye Tram" Video Hits 1.4 Million Views

Practical information and channel-specific content win praise
Six official social media channels connect with residents

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sang-jin) announced on October 27 that it had received the Excellence Award in the city category for basic local governments at the 16th 2026 Korea SNS Awards ceremony, held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on October 26.

Public officials pose for a commemorative photo after Seongnam City won the top prize at the 16th Korea SNS Awards ceremony, held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on the 26th. Photo courtesy of Seongnam City.

The award, organized by the Korea Social Contents Promotion Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT and others, is presented after a comprehensive assessment of how public institutions and companies use social media and their communication capabilities. During the public voting period, about 2,480 comments supporting Seongnam City were posted on the Seongnam City Hall support page.

The city was recognized for operating its six official social media channels—Instagram, YouTube, KakaoTalk Channel, Naver Blog, Facebook and Karrot—in ways tailored to each platform's characteristics and user base. It broadened its communication channels through Karrot, a local community platform, sharing everyday information tailored to different times of year and groups of residents.

On Instagram, the "Wirye Tram Test Run" content, which used the latest memes, recorded a cumulative 1.4 million views. For its "Shared Parking Lot Opening Project Using Idle Land," the city created a map listing that lets residents see parking lot locations at a glance, helping them use the facilities.

On YouTube, the city released "Catch Gyu," a web variety show featuring residents; "SN Scape," showcasing Seongnam's four seasons; and short videos about city administration made using artificial intelligence (AI). It also held the "One-Minute Seongnam Story" short-form video contest, giving residents an opportunity to share local stories themselves.

The city plans to expand the production of content tailored to each channel and two-way communication that encourages residents to participate.

A Seongnam City official said, "This Excellence Award reflects our efforts to move beyond one-way promotion of city administration and create useful, approachable content that residents can relate to in their everyday lives. It is also thanks to the wholehearted support of our residents. We will continue to keep pace with the changing media landscape, identify signature content that resonates with residents, and operate our official social media channels as trusted platforms for communicating about city administration."

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