Jongno-gu Honored as No.1 Nationwide in Local Government Innovation Evaluation by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Significant Improvement in Innovation Performance Compared to Last Year Secures 275 Million KRW Financial Incentive... National Evaluation Panel and Expert Panel Selected Through Open Recruitment Participate

Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, and staff are celebrating and taking a commemorative photo on the 28th for achieving first place nationwide in the local government innovation evaluation.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) achieved the highest score nationwide, ranking first with a total score of 90.39 points in the '2020 Local Government Innovation Evaluation' conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

As a result, the district secured a financial incentive of 275 million KRW.

The 'Local Government Innovation Evaluation' assesses the efforts and achievements of 243 local governments nationwide in regional innovation. The evaluation was conducted with the participation of a public evaluation group (204 members) and an expert evaluation group (22 members) selected through an open recruitment process.

The evaluation consisted of 12 indicators across 5 categories: institutional autonomous innovation, inclusive administration, participation and cooperation, trusted government, and innovation diffusion and public perception.

In the case of Jongno-gu, it received high scores for the institutional leader's innovation leadership case in the 'institutional autonomous innovation' category, such as ▲promoting the institutionalization of good policies, and for the case of resolving blind spots in public services in the 'inclusive administration' category, such as ▲the Our Neighborhood Playground creation project.

Additionally, in the 'participation and cooperation' category, the case of operating a public forum by mobilizing both online and offline methods to enable resident participation in solving community issues drew positive responses from the public.

In the 'trusted government' category, Jongno-gu received a perfect score in the newly introduced indicator this year, 'Establishment and Activation of Proactive Administration.' In the 'innovation diffusion and public perception' category, Jongno-gu was positively evaluated for promoting ▲eco-friendly sidewalk and road paving methods to other local governments and for implementing a highly public-perceived project to create a sustainable, crime-free safe village.

Accordingly, Jongno-gu achieved a remarkable feat by receiving a score of 90.39 out of a total of 102 points (national average 65.6 points, district average 70.9 points), ranking first nationwide. Its innovation performance significantly improved compared to last year, resulting in the receipt of a special grant of 275 million KRW as a financial incentive.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “We will not be complacent with the first-place ranking nationwide but aim to invigorate the local community through various changes and innovations that can enhance residents' satisfaction with their lives.” He added, “In response to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we will prioritize residents' safety and happiness in district administration and complete Jongno as a people-centered premium city in the remaining term of the 7th local government with the mindset of ‘starting small and slow, but doing it right.’”

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