Jongno-gu wins urban award for 13th year

Jongno-gu has won a ministerial award at the 2026 Korea Urban Awards hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, marking its 13th consecutive year receiving the honor.

The Korea Urban Awards evaluate the sustainability and quality-of-life infrastructure of 229 local governments nationwide, honoring those with outstanding results.

Jongno-gu was named one of this year's 13 outstanding local governments, earning praise for its "Jongno MADE" urban regeneration policy centered on downtown industry.

The district drew particular attention from judges for transforming its signature local industries — jewelry and sewing — from downtown manufacturing into high-value industries and cultural assets.

Building on four urban regeneration strategies — industrial regeneration, generational regeneration, spatial regeneration and cultural regeneration — the district strengthened its competitiveness. It successfully carried out the "Jewelry K-Cluster" initiative and the K-Jewelry Jongno Festival. It also energized local commerce by training young designers and establishing the Jongno Fashion Support Center.

These changes were credited not only with reviving the downtown manufacturing ecosystem but also with establishing a sustainable urban regeneration model in which industry and community grow together.

"Our efforts to build a Jongno-style urban regeneration model have been recognized externally," said District Mayor Yu Chan-jong. "We will continue to pursue meaningful policies that residents can feel in their daily lives and build a city that is good to live in."