Jung Suhyun from Jungnang-gu and Jung Suhyun from Yangcheon-gu 'New Promoters' 1-Month Impressions?

Jung Suhyun of Jungnang-gu and Jung Suhyun of Yangcheon-gu Assigned to Reporting Duties as Junior Public Officials, Sharing Reflections on Public Service Amid COVID-19 Crisis...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Newly appointed public officials assigned to the publicity teams of Seoul's autonomous districts are drawing attention as they take on publicity duties amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The protagonists are Jung Suhyeon, a junior officer from Jungnang-gu, and Jung Suhyeon, a junior officer from Yangcheon-gu, both hired this January. They share the same Korean name and are rookie officials with only a one-year age difference.

Jung Suhyeon from Jungnang-gu was born in 1993, making her one year older than Jung Suhyeon from Yangcheon-gu.

Jung Suhyeon from Jungnang-gu said, "These days, seeing the entire publicity department working very busily due to the COVID-19 situation, I am learning a lot."

Jung Suhyeon from Yangcheon-gu also said, "I am so busy these days that I hardly have time to think."

Under normal circumstances without such a crisis, seniors would sit next to rookies and calmly teach them the work, but nowadays there is no time for that, so they have to learn by observing on their own.

Therefore, for them, this crisis situation is also a golden opportunity to learn their work quickly.

Nevertheless, both expressed gratitude that they can learn a lot while doing publicity work as their first official duty.

Jung Su-hyun, a junior officer of Jungnang-gu, took a commemorative photo with Ryu Kyung-gi, the mayor of Jungnang-gu (left), and her mother after receiving the appointment certificate at the appointment ceremony.

◇ Q&A with Jung Suhyeon, Junior Officer at Jungnang-gu Office

- Why did you decide to prepare for the civil service exam? How long was your preparation period? Which university and department did you graduate from?

▲ I graduated from Kookmin University with a major in Korean History. I started without much knowledge. Since it was a liberal arts university, many seniors around me were working as public officials or preparing for the exam. So, I naturally thought I should prepare for the civil service exam as well. While preparing, I learned about the work public officials do. They do a variety of tasks, more than I expected. I also found it interesting to know that public officials plan various festivals like the Jungnang-gu Rose Festival, which I like. I studied while attending school for about three years.

- How do you feel after spending about a month as a publicity officer since starting as a public official?

▲ When I thought of public officials, I imagined work-life balance, but many people work hard without leaving on time. Also, I am lucky to have met Manager Jeong Ji-wook, Team Leader Woo Jin-bun, Section Chief Oh Seung-mi, Administrative Officer Park Ji-yeon, Junior Officer Lee Hyun-sook, and my younger but smart colleague Yoo Jin, from whom I am learning a lot.

- Did you want to start as a publicity officer when you became a public official?

▲ I didn’t even know there was a person in charge of writing press releases. When I was assigned to the Public Relations Officer’s Media Team, I was worried and felt burdened because I still had a lot to learn. The only way was to work hard and learn.

- What is the rewarding aspect of being a publicity officer?

▲ It was amazing to see the articles I wrote published in newspapers. I plan to work hard thinking that many people can get information by reading my articles.

- What are the difficulties of being a publicity officer?

▲ Since I had never written articles before, I worried a lot about whether I was writing the first press release correctly. There are still many things I don’t know and need to learn, and since my first task is to write press releases that many residents can see externally, it was burdensome. Also, as a publicity officer, I need to know the dates and times of overall projects and events in the district office well to publish on appropriate dates with accurate content, which is still difficult for me. I also worry every day about publishing articles with typos.

- What are your plans and vision as a publicity officer?

▲ I also live in Jungnang-gu, but when I write press releases, I realize there are many good policies and things I didn’t know. As a Jungnang-gu resident and someone who likes our district, I plan to write good articles so that many people can learn about good projects and events in Jungnang-gu. I will think and consider better titles and article content. Although I haven’t done it yet, I also plan to read many newspapers.

- What kind of public official do you want to become?

▲ I want to be someone who can bring happiness and joy to people around me. I also want to work diligently so that the image of Jungnang-gu can improve because of me.

Jung Su-hyun, Assistant Manager, Yangcheon-gu

◇ Q&A with Jung Suhyeon, Junior Officer at Yangcheon-gu Office

- Why did you decide to prepare for the civil service exam? How long was your preparation period? Which university and department did you graduate from?

▲ I prepared for the exam because of the stability of being a public official. The preparation period was about two years, and I graduated from Dongguk University with a major in Journalism and Broadcasting.

- How do you feel after spending about a month as a publicity officer since starting as a public official?

▲ It is very busy, but there is so much to learn. Every day is full of tension, so I am a bit tired, but I feel my desire to write articles better is gradually growing as I adapt.

- Did you want to start as a publicity officer when you became a public official?

▲ I originally did not expect to become a publicity officer right from the start.

- What is the rewarding aspect of being a publicity officer?

▲ It is amazing and makes me proud when the press releases I wrote are published as articles.

- What are the difficulties of being a publicity officer?

▲ Since I am responsible for the articles I write, I verify facts and data multiple times. Still, when mistakes happen, I feel discouraged.

- What are your plans and vision as a publicity officer?

▲ I want to be a publicity officer who writes the same content in an interesting, easy, straightforward, and eye-catching way.

- What kind of public official do you want to become?

▲ I want to be a public official who fulfills my role firmly, gets along well with those around me, and does not lose sight of both work and personal happiness.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.