Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province has received the Excellent Award at the 2026 National Local Government Job Awards, hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, marking its second consecutive year of recognition. This achievement reflects the county's top-level employment and economic participation rates last year.
According to Hwacheon County, the award was presented on August 19 at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.
The National Local Government Job Awards evaluate the job policies and achievements of local governments across the country. This year, 243 metropolitan and basic local governments were assessed based on their job target achievements, key project outcomes, and employment rates.
Hwacheon County exceeded its job creation target by 125% last year, achieving an overall employment rate of 76.7%, the highest in the province. The economic participation rate also reached 77.4%, the best in the region.
The male employment rate was recorded at 82.4%, while the female employment rate stood at 71.6%. Notably, the youth employment rate rose from 36.5% in 2024 to 44.4% last year, marking a 7.9 percentage point increase and the highest level ever.
The county received high marks for expanding tailored employment services and improving employment infrastructure and working conditions. Initiatives such as all-day care programs to address career interruptions for women with children and support projects to enhance living conditions in border areas for young workers were highlighted as exemplary cases.
This award is expected to bolster the job policies of the newly inaugurated 9th term under Mayor Kim Se-hoon. During his campaign, Kim pledged to expand job opportunities for seniors and create over 300 tailored jobs for people with disabilities. Since taking office, he has prioritized increasing resident income under the slogan 'Solid Income, Reliable Welfare, Advancing Hwacheon.'
Plans include expanding direct income support through rural basic income and Hwacheon-style sunshine pensions, as well as developing local industries such as agriculture, tourism, and sports to broaden income sources for residents. Key policies of the 9th term also focus on increasing the agricultural budget, establishing smart farms, cultivating strategic crops, and enhancing year-round tourism and sports marketing to stimulate the local economy and create new jobs.
As a result, the challenge for the 9th term will be to translate the rising employment indicators from the 8th term into quality jobs, youth retention, and increased resident income. With this award, Hwacheon County has secured a 5 million won financial incentive, which will be used for capacity-building projects in the job sector.
Mayor Kim Se-hoon stated, “We will continue to pursue the discovery of quality jobs and resident-centered job policies, while also supporting vocational skills development.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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