Residents flood forum with questions on whether support policies are working
Shim vows to deliver results people can feel
Pyeongchang-gun chief Shim Jae-guk on Wednesday kicked off a "grassroots policy tour" marking the launch of his ninth elected term, hosting an economic policy forum at the Pyeongchang Wild-Cultivated Ginseng Convergence Support Center in Gangwon Province to hear directly from residents about conditions on the ground.
The tour follows an agricultural policy forum held at his on-site inauguration ceremony on July 1. The initiative is designed to bring county leadership directly to communities, gather resident input across a range of sectors, and incorporate that feedback into the county's governing priorities and policies.
The forum drew small-business owners, young entrepreneurs, local company representatives and residents who use county economic programs. Participants shared views on Shim's economic policy agenda for the new term and offered suggestions to the county chief and senior officials on future policy direction.
Local business figures proposed improvements to how economic support programs are structured and delivered, and raised concerns about the difficulties facing small businesses and companies in the area.
Shim said he plans to review the proposals and opinions raised at the forum carefully and incorporate them actively into future economic policy.
The forum was designed to move beyond token consultation and focus on hearing directly from residents who work on the ground and use county programs in practice. Pyeongchang-gun plans to hold an education sector forum in September and will select additional policy areas for further grassroots tours in October, expanding field-based engagement beyond the economic sphere.
"Local economic policy only delivers results when residents can actually feel the difference in their daily lives," Shim said. "I will carefully examine the candid opinions shared by residents, reflect them in county governance, and continue to run a field-centered administration that seeks answers closest to where people live."
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