Seodaemun-gu, New Public Officials End 'Sibo Tteok' Culture... Replaced with Congratulatory Messages

Promotion of the "Project for Creating a Healthy Organizational Culture with Sincere Communication"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is promoting the ‘Creating a Healthy Organizational Culture that Communicates Sincerely Project’ to help new public officials adapt well to public service.

Through this, the district will eradicate the culture of new public officials distributing rice cakes to department staff after a six-month probation period, known as the ‘Sibo Tteok’ tradition.

Instead, they plan to create a simple congratulatory culture by delivering congratulatory messages from the mayor and encouraging employees to exchange words of gratitude and encouragement.

Last month, customized guidance on district administration and sexual harassment prevention education were conducted to help new employees understand public service and adapt well to the organization.

Additionally, related training was provided to help new employees overcome the burden of responding to civil complaints, and during their adaptation period, ‘Newcomer Notification Signs’ will be placed to help visiting citizens understand.

For the digital generation of new employees, experiential education on the 4th Industrial Revolution such as drones, 3D printing, and digital drawing, as well as job competency enhancement training like document editing and report writing, will be continuously promoted.

Furthermore, a forum will be established where new public officials can communicate their difficulties and wishes to directors and managers.

Since 2016, the district has been facilitating mentoring where senior public officials and newcomers form 1:1 pairs to promote mutual communication and know-how transfer.

This year as well, since last month, 62 teams have been engaging in activities such as touring major local facilities, identifying work improvement points, enhancing organizational understanding, book discussions, and finding and praising each other’s strengths.

Moreover, in the second half of this year, a ‘Mentor-Mentee Public Official Communication and Empathy Workshop’ will be held, transcending generations and ranks.

The district conducts self-diagnosis for job stress and depression for all employees including new public officials and supports professional counseling if necessary.

In addition, a healing program for employees in heavy workload departments is planned for the second half of this year.

Mayor Moon Seok-jin said, “We will boldly eliminate unreasonable practices so that new public officials can happily take their first step in public service, and we will do our best to create a healthy organizational culture based on mutual consideration and respect.”

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