Section chief Hwang Seok-hyun, who works for the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation in Wanju and Jeonju Innovation City, is from Donghae, Gangwon-do. He joined the Gangwon Northern Branch of the corporation 10 years ago and was soon transferred to the Seoul headquarters, but moved to Wanju when the corporation moved to Iseo Innovation City in 2014. It may seem difficult to find anything special in the contents so far, but the following story shows how much Hwang Seokhyeon got stuck into things.

"In December 2020, I was selected for the' Rediscovery of Wanju Guinness,’ in regards to record making. I was selected in the category of "Most Individual Awards and Appointments". Until then, I had received 27 individual awards and 29 letters of appointment. It is mainly related to cultural and artistic activities, and public sector policies and ideas. In Wanju, I also participate in various gatherings, including the voluntary crime prevention unit, and cultural artistic activities. In fact, I got married through the introduction of an elderly person I became acquainted with while working in the voluntary crime prevention unit. A very strong connection has been made here."

It is not easy for the staff of newly located public institutions or industrial complexes in Wanju to consistently participate in various activities in the community. This is especially true in the case of single-person families who moved to Wanju from other regions. I wondered what has made Hwang Seokhyeon such a great inquisitive person.

The keywords of Hwang Seokhyeon's concerns and activities are ‘region and youth.’ The Wanju Cultural Foundation's Culture and Arts Residents' Policy Research Group, and the Wanju Cultural City Support Center's ‘Meeting With No Representatives,’ which began its activities this year, deal with the same topic. They continue to talk and carry out research with other colleagues about how young local people, especially young people who have moved to the innovative city, can connect with the local community and live more happily.

"The phenomenon of young people working in innovative cities moving to other places when the time comes can happen not only in Wanju but also in all innovative cities across the country. I live and work in Wanju, but if I don't build a relationship with the community, I end up going home in a different region every weekend. I have no friends in the area, there are no club activities, and not many peers in this or that program, which all make it difficult to participate in any kind of program. I think it will get better gradually if we start by identifying and resolving the problems and demands of the young people who work here."

The range of the relationships with the local community in which Hwang Seokhyeon is involved with is deeper and richer than expected. He worked for the space planning team of a youth space called Iseonaru, and drew support from the company, and with that connection, he also hosted the Iseonaru opening event. Even now, with six colleagues, he’s investigating the cultural satisfaction of young employees of the relocated institutions in Wanju-gun and studying various solutions for young people to settle in the region.

"I hope that young people will carry out more diverse cultural and artistic activities in the region. In fact, there are many programs offered in Wanju-gun. However, the elderly are more active and attracting more attention than the young. I thought we needed to pay a little more attention to the young people. If I have a chance in the future, I plan to work with other public institution employees to increase participation and budget support.“