Gangnam-gu Ranks First in 'Administrative Services' and 'Lifelong Education' Evaluations

Ranked 1st Overall Among 69 Autonomous Districts Nationwide in the '2020 National Local Government Evaluation' Hosted by the Korean Association for Local Government Studies and Sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun) ranked first overall among 69 autonomous districts nationwide in the ‘2020 National Local Government Evaluation’ hosted by the Korean Local Government Association and sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

This evaluation, conducted from May last year to March this year, analyzed five administrative service areas?health and welfare, local economy, culture and tourism, safety, education?and financial capacity of local governments nationwide. The evaluation was divided into six groups according to the size of local governments: special/metropolitan cities, provinces, large cities with populations over 500,000, small and medium cities with populations under 500,000, autonomous districts, and rural counties.

◇‘Mimiwi Gangnam’-worthy ‘Administrative Services’ and ‘Lifelong Education’ Rank First

Based on solid financial capacity, Gangnam-gu received high scores in the local economy and education sectors among administrative services. In particular, reflecting the spirit of the new city brand ‘Mimiwi Gangnam,’ which means ‘Together, Caring, and Respectful Gangnam,’ it attracted attention by receiving high evaluations in areas such as employment rate of persons with disabilities and number of lifelong learners.

Looking at detailed indicators, the local economy sector, which evaluated employment rates of persons with disabilities, rose sharply from 54th place last year to 9th place this year, playing a driving role in the rise of the overall ranking. The district is continuously promoting projects such as expanding vocational adaptation training facilities and workplaces for people with developmental disabilities, operating care personnel teams for developmental disabilities, and providing auxiliary jobs for developmental disability care workers, which are pledges of the 7th local government administration.

Gangnam-gu also became the first among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts last year to establish a master plan for jobs for persons with disabilities. It is working hard to create customized public jobs by disability type, strengthen networks with private job agencies, and expand vocational rehabilitation facilities for persons with disabilities.

◇Jeong Soon-gyun: “We Will Continue to Enhance Gangnam’s Competitiveness”

Additionally, Gangnam-gu ranked first in the education sector as its lifelong education learning index was higher compared to other autonomous districts. This means it is undergoing a ‘pleasant change’ from being the ‘number one district for entrance exam education’ to the ‘number one district for lifelong education.’ To expand lifelong learning opportunities for residents, the district operates seven ‘Our Neighborhood Learning Centers’ and supports 39 voluntary learning groups through the ‘Self-ree Learning System.’

Furthermore, Gangnam-gu allocated the largest education budget among Seoul’s autonomous districts, 23.2 billion KRW, and installed shared creative spaces called ‘Maker Spaces’ in each zone where youth can directly design and produce content using 3D printers. It is also leading efforts to nurture future creative talents by remodeling old classrooms into creative learning spaces.

Jeong Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “The results of key policies of the 7th local government administration to create ‘Mimiwi Gangnam,’ which is together, caring, and respectful, are gradually appearing. Gangnam-gu contributes 230 billion KRW annually in property tax as a joint resource to Seoul, sharing with autonomous districts with low financial independence,” and added, “As Korea’s number one city, we will strive to be reborn as ‘the eldest brother city, a city of dignity.’”

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