Seocho-gu Innovation Wind Blows!... 'Triple Administrative Innovation' Dreams of Another Innovation

First, sharing administrative innovation know-how through the publication of the Best Practices in Administrative Innovation (Everyday Miracles Unleashed with Boldness)... Second, winning the gold medal by registering the highest number of 44 innovation best practices in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Government Innovation 1st Street,’ boosting pride among Seocho residents and enhancing innovation mindset among employees... Third, hosting the ‘Seocho Idea King Championship,’ with discovered ideas forming the foundation for innovation momentum in the second half of the 7th local government term

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seocho-gu (Mayor Jo Eun-hee) is currently experiencing a wave of innovation.

Seocho-gu is promoting an ‘Innovation Administration Triple’ that goes beyond improvement and supplementation to find the values residents desire, aiming to transform our daily lives through new administrative approaches.

The first initiative is the publication of a collection of innovative case studies compiling outstanding achievements since the 6th elected term. Titled "Everyday Miracles Unfolded with Boldness," the collection documents the results and efforts of 50 projects over six years since July 2014, including resident-requested projects achieved through a shift in thinking, pioneering projects that became national standards, and innovation projects integrated into daily life.

Notably, this casebook draws attention with its bold departure from the traditional white paper format.

Part 1 ("Fulfilling Wishes with Devotion") features documentary-style storytelling that makes it easy to understand the beginnings, processes, and outcomes of projects such as the Seoripul Tunnel, opened after 40 years; the attraction of Cheongdam High School to the Jamwon area, which lacked a high school for 30 years, forcing students to attend distant schools; and the construction of Yangjae Library, which marked the start of the ‘One Library per Zone’ initiative by exchanging library sites after 13 years of reconsideration.

The most striking story is the Seoripul Tunnel, opened last year. The process of resolving the development method for the Information Command site around the tunnel by negotiating between the Ministry of National Defense and Seoul City, adopting a two-track approach of starting tunnel construction first and discussing site utilization later, is recorded like watching a documentary.

Other major stories include flood-free Seocho, reconstruction and remodeling of all neighborhood community centers, expansion of public daycare centers, new right-bank road along Yangjaecheon Stream and expansion of Taebong-ro, installation of crosswalks, elevators, and escalators, upgrades to Banpocheon, Yangjaecheon, and Yeouicheon streams, and continuous expansion of parking lots.

Part 2 ("Setting the Standard with Distinctiveness") covers projects first initiated by Seocho-gu, such as Seoripul Wondumak & Seoripul Tree, the Smart Senior project, policies for single-person households, Seoripul Ondol Chairs & Seoripul E-glue, Seocho Book Payback Service, Seoripul Cup, runway-style crosswalks, early intervention for premature infants in Seocho, and Seocho Maternal and Child Health Center & postpartum care helpers.

Especially, it is designed like a magazine that clearly shows how these initiatives were adopted by other local governments and the central government and spread nationwide, attracting readers’ interest and curiosity.

Seocho-gu’s representative national standard project, ‘Seoripul Wondumak,’ was presented as a national standard in the 2017 ‘Seoul City Shade Installation Guidelines’ and the 2019 Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Shade Installation and Management Guidelines.’

Now, Seoripul Wondumak has become a familiar sight on streets nationwide, including Gyeonggi, Busan, Chungnam, Jeonnam, and Jeju.

The final Part 3 ("Strong in Detail, Therefore Innovative") neatly categorizes innovation projects integrated into daily life into ‘Space,’ ‘Service,’ and ‘Smart,’ enhancing understanding through photos and infographics.

It features 30 lifestyle innovation projects such as the opening of Narae School after 17 years of delay, operation of a blockchain academy, and installation of crime-predicting AI CCTV.

Lee Jeong-eun from the Seocho-gu Transportation Administration Department, who read the innovation casebook, said, “It was refreshing to see the behind-the-scenes stories of how projects that had been stalled for years were resolved through communication with residents and reverse thinking to find answers.” She added, “If residents become aware of these hidden efforts, I believe they will surely praise Seocho-gu employees. That will energize our staff to work even harder.” This is precisely why this innovation storybook was created.

The second administrative innovation is winning the gold medal in the ‘Government Innovation 1st Street.’ Beyond the 50 projects, Seocho-gu’s various efforts and innovation cases were registered as 44 innovation cases?the highest number among 243 metropolitan and local governments nationwide?on the ‘Government Innovation Case Map’ operated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, resulting in the gold medal award.

By recording the most innovation cases with an overwhelming margin over second place, Seocho-gu once again proved its strength as a leading innovator in administration that understands residents’ needs. Notable innovation cases include the real-time notification and crackdown system for illegally parked vehicles in public parking lots, crime-predicting AI CCTV, pioneering safety and disaster management policies, and the opening of Narae School, all of which have high public recognition.

Seocho-gu is holding the ‘Seocho Idea King of Kings Contest’ to discover innovative tasks that residents can feel based on creative ideas. The contest, open to all Seocho-gu employees, focuses on ideas inspired by reading the book The Difference in Thinking Creates Excellence (author Dong-gyu Lee) and ideas suitable for the administrative paradigm preparing for the post-COVID era.

As the third administrative innovation, Seocho-gu actively encourages employee participation in creative proposals to strengthen dynamic thinking and proactive administrative mindsets, improve administrative efficiency and services, and plans to use the selected ideas as driving forces for new innovation projects during the remaining period of the 7th elected term.

Mayor Jo Eun-hee stated, “By making residents’ intentions the driving force of innovation and setting the goal of raising the value of residents’ lives, we were able to achieve these results by never stopping our challenges. Going forward, we will continue to bring about innovative changes for residents together with our staff, including paradigm shifts in administration due to COVID-19.”

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