‘1st Anniversary of Songpa District Residents' Petition’ Achievements?

A total of 231 petitions received including environmental issues such as asbestos ordinance enactment... 43 cases transferred to relevant agencies including new subway station elevators and restroom improvements in Olympic Park

The 'Songpa Resident Petition' board, which started in March 2019, celebrates its 1st anniversary of operation this month

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 13th that after operating the residents' petition system for one year, a total of 231 petitions were received, including in the environmental sector such as the enactment of the asbestos ordinance, contributing to expanding opportunities for participation in district administration.

Since March last year, Songpa-gu has been operating the 'Songpa Residents' Petition' board on the district website. The residents' petition system is also a pledge of Mayor Park Seong-su's 7th term, which emphasizes communication administration.

On the 'Songpa Residents' Petition' board, any Songpa resident can freely propose issues related to district administration or policy suggestions. Petitions supported by more than 1,000 people receive direct responses from the mayor.

According to the district, a total of 231 proposals were received over the past year.

Among them, 22 were registered as official petitions. In October last year, a petition requesting the 'Enactment of an Asbestos-related Ordinance' was supported by 1,278 residents, establishing the 'Songpa-gu No. 1 Petition.'

Mayor Park Seong-su responded directly, and in December last year, the 'Seoul Special City Songpa-gu Asbestos Safety Management Ordinance' was enacted, reflecting the voices of residents in policy.

Additionally, 166 cases were classified as simple civil complaints or inquiries and were answered by the responsible departments. Forty-three cases, such as the installation of elevators at subway stations and improvement of restroom environments in Olympic Park, were transferred to the relevant institutions.

Analysis of the proposals received through 'Songpa Residents' Petition' over the past year showed that residents showed the most interest in environmental and general administrative fields. Many opinions requested improvements in daily life inconveniences such as noise, parking, and housing.

The district plans to continue communication administration by promptly responding to such proposals and reflecting them in policies. Also, as residents' interest in administration has increased, the district plans to revitalize the 'Songpa Residents' Petition.'

First, from the 13th, the petition support period has been extended from the existing 10 days to 20 days to ease the petition establishment requirements. This is to allow more residents to participate and have petitions established. Once a petition is received, after reviewing its appropriateness, it is made public. If it receives support from more than 1,000 people within 20 days from the date of publication, the mayor will respond directly within 20 days.

Also, to improve convenience in using the board, the system has been improved to allow attachment files to be registered when submitting petitions.

Furthermore, the district plans to introduce the petition processing status through various channels such as Songpa TV and newsletters to promote the use of 'Songpa Residents' Petition.'

Mayor Park Seong-su of Songpa-gu said, “We have lowered the threshold for petition establishment to create Songpa's future together with residents,” and added, “We will promote policies that reflect the vivid voices of residents and realize open administration through communication.”

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