Wonju City Wins Grand Prize at 2026 Local Autonomy Policy Awards for ‘Tteutmoa’ Citizen Meeting

Mayor Gu Jaeyeol gives presentation at the National Assembly
About 300 citizens propose 21 policies

Wonju, Gangwon Province, won the grand prize at the 2026 Local Autonomy Policy Awards for “Tteutmoa,” a citizen-led community meeting where residents choose and discuss issues affecting their daily lives and propose policies.

Wonju Mayor Gu Ja-yeol (fourth from left) poses for a commemorative photo with officials after receiving the grand prize for the “Tteutmoa” citizen sovereignty neighborhood meeting at the 2026 Local Autonomy Policy Contest, held on May 13 in the courtyard in front of Sarangjae at the National Assembly. Provided by Wonju City.

Wonju City said that at the awards ceremony held on November 13 in the courtyard in front of Sarangjae at the National Assembly, Wonju Mayor Gu Jaeyeol gave a presentation himself, introducing the results of the “Tteutmoa” program and its future plans. The event, hosted and organized by the Good Local Government Association, brought together 19 local governments, including Wonju, to present outstanding policies.

Held under the slogan “The mayor asks, and citizens answer,” “Tteutmoa” gives residents a chance to choose issues closely related to their daily lives, discuss them, and propose policies. About 300 citizens took part in the first meeting. Participants were divided into 19 groups, discussed 14 issues, and put forward 21 joint policy proposals.

Wonju City is reviewing whether the proposals can be incorporated into policy and informing residents of the results. It plans to launch a Citizen Sovereignty Era Committee and expand citizen participation across all areas of municipal administration.

Mayor Gu Jaeyeol said, “This award is a valuable result of our efforts to put citizens’ voices at the heart of municipal administration and develop policies together with them. We will usher in an era of citizen sovereignty in which citizens’ wishes are realized as actual policies.”

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