Seongdong-gu Appoints Service Dog 'Banji' as Honorary Public Official

Specially Made Appointment Certificates and ID Cards Presented... Commemorative Gift 'Choeae' Snacks... Leading Awareness Activities for Assistance Dogs for the Disabled, Campaign to Attach 'Guide Dogs Welcome' Stickers

Guide Dog Appointment Ceremony for the Disabled

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “We will now begin the honorary public official appointment ceremony. Name: 'Banji', appointed as Local Social Welfare Clerk. Assigned to the Welfare Bureau, Elderly and Disabled Welfare Division.”

On the 10th, Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) held a ‘special appointment ceremony.’ The star of the ceremony was Banji, a guide dog for the visually impaired working at the district office.

Banji is a congenital visually impaired guide dog who has been working alongside Officer Saemi Kim, a public official at Seongdong-gu Office, since February of this year. Banji accompanies Officer Kim daily, from early morning commutes to late evening returns, including meal times, and has already gained fame within Seongdong-gu Office.

Officer Saemi Kim said, “Banji not only fulfills the role of a guide dog but also serves as a source of comfort and strength when colleagues are tired, acting as a vital energy booster. Perhaps because of this, colleagues even place a nameplate at Banji’s spot and include Banji on the staff seating chart, treating Banji as a fellow public official.”

Seongdong-gu also recognized Banji’s excellent performance as a probationary public official over the past 10 months and officially appointed Banji as an honorary public official on the 10th.

On this day, Mayor Jeong Won-oh of Seongdong-gu said, “During the probation period, Officer Banji acted as the eyes of Officer Saemi Kim, commuting to Seongdong-gu Office, and demonstrated outstanding capabilities by checking on our Seongdong family on the same floor three times a day to ensure they were working well.” He presented a specially made appointment certificate and ID card. As a commemorative gift, Banji received a dog chew, Banji’s favorite snack.

Along with Banji’s appointment ceremony, Seongdong-gu plans to take the lead in raising awareness about assistance dogs for the disabled. Although assistance dogs like guide dogs are legally guaranteed access everywhere, social awareness remains insufficient.

As a starting point, on the 10th, Seongdong-gu, together with the Public Communication Research Institute (Director Professor Jong-hyuk Lee of Kwangwoon University), attached ‘Guide Dogs Welcome’ Braille stickers on notable local spots such as Cafe Onion, French Wood Workshop, Sseneu, Seongsu Naknak, and Space Wadiz as a pilot project.

The district plans to expand the attachment of ‘Guide Dogs Welcome’ stickers to public and private facilities throughout the region.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, giving a dog chew as an appointment gift to Banji

Mayor Jeong Won-oh stated, “Appointing Officer Banji as an honorary public official is to inform that assistance dogs can freely come and go anywhere, including our district office.” He added, “Together with Officer Banji, we will strive to create a Seongdong-gu where everyone can live together in harmony, in line with the vision of the 7th term of the local government, ‘Smart Inclusive City.’”

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