Gangdong-gu Cleaning Administration Division Chief Choi Byung-ok Receives Presidential Citation for Ice Pack Reuse Contribution

Public Official of Gangdong-gu Awarded Presidential Citation for Proactive Administration with High Public Impact ... Leading Resource Circulation by Establishing the Nation's First Eco-Friendly Ice Pack Reuse Collection System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced that a public official who established an eco-friendly ice pack reuse collection system was selected as a meritorious person and received the Presidential Citation at the ‘1st Active Administration Merit Awards’ jointly hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management.

The awardee is Choi Byung-ok, a local industrial officer in the Cleaning Administration Division.

The ‘Active Administration Merit Awards’ were held for the first time this year to select and commend outstanding active administrators who have achieved excellent results through proactive and creative work performance, aiming to spread a culture of active administration in the public sector.

For this government award, 30 final recipients were selected through document screening, public verification, and public perception surveys targeting public officials from central administrative agencies, local governments, public institutions, and local public corporations.

Among them, Officer Choi Byung-ok, who received the Presidential Citation, was recognized for his contribution to practicing resource circulation by establishing the first ice pack reuse system among local governments nationwide and leading cooperation among the public, private sector, and businesses (small merchants) for ice pack collection.

Gangdong-gu focused on the fact that ice packs, which are typically used once and discarded, can be reused, and in February 2019, established the nation’s first eco-friendly ice pack reuse collection system among local governments.

Last year, they joined hands with the traditional market merchants’ association and the civic group Environmental Owner Citizens’ Association to promote ice pack reuse. They have received great responses by supplying reused ice packs to small merchants struggling due to COVID-19, and so far have collected approximately 201,990 ice packs, reducing 101 tons of household waste.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “I am pleased that the hard work of the staff who actively performed their duties to resolve residents’ inconveniences has led to this award,” and added, “For administration to work well on the ground, proactive attitudes of public officials are necessary. We will encourage active administration among staff and provide administrative services that residents can empathize with and be satisfied by.”

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