Gangbuk-gu in Seoul (district mayor Jeong Chang-su) will hold its 2026 community assemblies sequentially from Saturday through Oct. 17, organized by the neighborhood self-governance councils of all 13 dong districts.
The community assembly is a public forum where residents come together to discuss and decide on projects, budgets, and key agenda items their neighborhood needs. Participants share and debate the self-governance plans drawn up by the neighborhood council, then vote to give them final approval — making the assembly a cornerstone of grassroots democracy through which residents shape local change.
Ahead of each assembly, the neighborhood councils developed their self-governance plans by identifying community agenda items, gathering resident input, and holding policy-sharing sessions. They also encouraged participation through a range of outreach efforts, including the production and distribution of agenda bulletins and public information meetings.
This year's assemblies kick off Saturday with Beon 3-dong and Beon 2-dong, followed in order by Beon 1-dong, Mia-dong, Ui-dong, Songjung-dong, Suyu 3-dong, Samgaksan-dong, Songcheon-dong, Suyu 1-dong, Insu-dong, Samyang-dong and Suyu 2-dong. Any resident may attend the assembly in their dong, review the projects identified by the neighborhood council, and directly deliberate and vote on plans for their community. Approved projects will serve as the basis for the neighborhood council's operations and future initiatives.
The schedule by neighborhood is as follows: Saturday — Beon 3-dong (11 a.m., second floor of Ohyeon Elementary School) and Beon 2-dong (3 p.m., third floor of Beondong Jeil Church); Aug. 29 — Beon 1-dong (1 p.m., second floor of Pyeonggang Church); Sept. 5 — Mia-dong (1:30 p.m., fourth floor of the community center auditorium) and Ui-dong (3 p.m., Solbat Park); Sept. 8 — Songjung-dong (2 p.m., venue to be announced); Sept. 12 — Suyu 3-dong (1 p.m., second floor of Seongsil Church) and Samgaksan-dong (3 p.m., community center auditorium, below-ground floor 1); Sept. 19 — Songcheon-dong (11 a.m., first floor of Somang Church), Suyu 1-dong (1 p.m., second floor of Yeongseong Church) and Insu-dong (3 p.m., Haengbok Hall at Gangbuk Arts and Culture Center); Oct. 17 — Samyang-dong (11 a.m., fifth floor of the community center auditorium) and Suyu 2-dong (2 p.m., second floor of Seongbuk Church).
"The community assembly is the closest thing to direct democracy — a place where residents come together to think about and decide the future of their neighborhood," Gangbuk-gu District Mayor Jeong Chang-su said. "We will do our best to broaden the foundation for participation so that diverse resident voices are reflected and resident-led self-governance can truly flourish."
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