Gwanak-gu Accelerates Policy Implementation to Realize Innovation, Inclusion, and Cooperation

Deubureo Eutteum Gwanak Innovation and Cooperation Committee, Cooperation Meeting, Resident Participation Budget System, Resident Autonomy Association, and Various Cooperation Platforms Established

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is accelerating the implementation of various policies to realize innovation, inclusion, and cooperation in Gwanak through a collaborative governance platform uniting the public and private sectors.

Since the launch of the 7th local government, the district has laid the groundwork for sustainable local government development by enabling local residents and external experts to directly participate in major district policies through various preparatory efforts such as enacting basic ordinances for activating public-private cooperation, hiring a cooperation coordinator, establishing a cooperation promotion team, and launching the online Gwanak Office.

First, in December 2018, the Together Gwanak Innovation and Cooperation Committee was launched. A total of 40 members, including private members such as academic experts and businesspeople as well as district office staff, were assigned to five subcommittees to discuss key issues related to the 7th local government’s operational tasks and core policies, thereby reflecting more accurate and diverse public opinions in administration.

So far, a total of 35 committee meetings have been held. Based on the active activities of the subcommittees, 15 sector-specific policies have been identified, including ▲holding cooperation forums ▲discussions on improving safety nets for welfare blind spots ▲consulting support for revitalizing traditional markets. These are currently under review and implementation by relevant departments. In the future, the committee plans to discuss meeting methods such as holding video conferences to further invigorate committee operations, which have been subdued due to COVID-19.

Also, the Gwanak-gu Cooperation Council, a cooperation-related committee formed in March 2019 to activate public-private cooperation, is playing a significant role. Through various online channels such as the online Gwanak Office, live broadcast public forums, and expanded subcommittee KakaoTalk rooms, it communicates with local residents and is accelerating the establishment of the 2021 community innovation plan.

In particular, the ‘Live Broadcast Public Forum’ conducted in an untact (contactless) manner in March, early in the COVID-19 outbreak, served as a good example for other local governments that were considering alternatives to traditional face-to-face public forums.

In addition, efforts are being made to collect more resident opinions by utilizing administrative data gathered through the online Gwanak Office, cooperation tree, forums, and various meetings.

Through this, nine cooperation agendas have been identified, including ▲operating a social economy dream market ▲establishing public nursing facilities ▲promoting waste separation habits. By operating deliberative public forums and conducting resident preference surveys using Seoul City’s e-voting system, a public-private cooperation platform is being created where administration and residents jointly plan, execute, and evaluate.

Furthermore, the ‘Resident Participatory Budget System,’ where residents directly propose and review projects and participate in the budgeting process, is actively operated. Since the launch of the 7th local government, the district has formed a Resident Participatory Budget Research Group composed of professors, field experts, and civic groups to efficiently operate the participatory budget. Using the online Gwanak Office, an environment has been created where anyone can easily participate regardless of time and place.

As a result, last year, a budget of 1.279 billion KRW was allocated across 43 fields, including ▲adult literacy classes and ▲side dish sharing projects. This year, a budget of 1.497 billion KRW has been allocated for 48 projects, including ▲creating safe school routes and ▲improving facilities for the disabled, and projects are underway.

The ‘Resident Autonomy Council,’ piloted in six neighborhoods since last year, is also noteworthy. Unlike the existing Resident Autonomy Committee, it goes beyond the role of a neighborhood advisory body by strengthening authority and responsibility, establishing a partnership on equal terms with the administration, and performing a more advanced role in resident autonomy. The district plans to add four more neighborhoods next year and expand to all neighborhoods by 2022.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “We are striving to gather more opinions to realize innovation, inclusion, and cooperation, the core values of the 7th local government’s operation. We expect that by working closely with experts, civic groups, and residents from various fields for Gwanak’s development, the district administration will gain greater momentum.”

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