Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) has concluded its 2026 residents' assembly, held sequentially across all 20 neighborhoods from June 23, starting in Donam 1-dong, through Wednesday.
Now in its ninth year, the Seongbuk-gu residents' assembly has established itself as the district's premier public forum for participatory governance, where residents directly discuss local issues and collectively shape the future of their communities.
Over the past nine years, approximately 110,000 residents have taken part in the assemblies, generating 5,357 local agenda items. Of those, 965 community self-governance projects have been selected through resident votes and assemblies and carried out across the district, bringing tangible change to residents' daily lives.
This year's assembly drew about 28,000 participants through early voting and on-site voting combined, with more than 1,400 local agenda items identified. Of those, 214 items advanced to the assembly after deliberation and a resident vote, and are set to be pursued as community self-governance projects reflecting local conditions and priorities.
The Seongbuk-gu residents' assembly traces its origins to a pilot program launched in 2018 in Jongam-dong and Dongseon-dong, and has steadily evolved in both participation and format. In 2024, it adopted a festival-style format incorporating community center program showcases, cultural performances and hands-on activities, making it a neighborhood event accessible to all. In 2025, it strengthened the resident voting function, advancing into a more participation-centered model in which residents directly decide on local agenda items.
The standout achievement of this year's assembly was the full-scale results delivered by Seongbuk-gu's signature initiative, "1 Residents' Council, 1 School — Our Self-Governing Neighborhood." Sustained collaboration between residents' councils and schools led to a significant expansion of participation by students and parents.
Students explored their schools and neighborhoods to identify local issues, then presented their findings at the assembly and discussed them with residents. They also energized the proceedings through performances ranging from cheerleading and choral singing to orchestral concerts. The assembly has since moved beyond a resident-centered public forum into an intergenerational self-governance model that embraces the next generation.
At each venue, residents' council members personally explained local agenda items and shared the rationale and expected benefits of proposed projects with attendees. With agenda presentations, cultural performances and hands-on activities all taking place together, the assembly has grown from a policy-deliberation forum into a community festival where people of all ages and backgrounds come together.
"Over the past nine years, the residents' assembly has laid the foundation for grassroots democracy — one where residents' voices translate directly into community policy," District Mayor Lee said. "Going forward, we will continue to realize sustainable participatory governance that grows alongside the next generation, through assemblies that bring together residents, students, schools and the broader community."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
