Kimje City, youth-led rural innovation "Presidential Commendation"

Kimje City in Jeonbuk Province (Mayor Jeong-ju) won the 2025 Presidential Citation based on the rural innovation achievements created together by local youths and residents. This recognition follows the evaluation of Kimje City's Rural Revitalization Plus Project as a national best practice case that overcame population outflow and regional stagnation. Kimje City, a representative agricultural region in the western part of Jeonbuk Province, has long been evaluated as difficult to move away from a rice-centered structure. However, Kimje City has led change by establishing a regional ecosystem where various stakeholders such as farmers, youths, small business owners, experts, and consumers collaborate organically, with "connection" as its core strategy. The Kimje Rural Revitalization Plus Project has established a self-reliant governance model where the region defines and solves its own problems, leading to balanced progress in creating a youth farmer network, innovating processing ...