Gurye-gun, Noticeable Improvement in Friendly Service

Seeking Advanced Measures to Enhance Courtesy Including Dedicated Staff Deployment
Improving Satisfaction Through Service from the Civil Petitioners' Perspective

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yuk Miseok] Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim Sun-ho) announced on the 24th that it has shed the stigma of being unfriendly and has recently been receiving evaluations that it has changed remarkably.

Since criticism regarding unfriendliness was raised externally in January, the county has implemented intensive measures to improve friendliness. After about two months, most residents visiting the civil service office have shown noticeable positive reactions to the improved friendliness.

When criticism about unfriendliness in the civil service department arose, Governor Kim Sun-ho instructed at an executive meeting to devise strong measures to enhance friendly service and urged all departments, including the civil service counters, to make extraordinary efforts.

The county convened a countermeasure meeting for the civil service departments chaired by the deputy governor to diagnose the current state of civil service processing and discuss ways to resolve inconveniences, concluding that drastic improvement measures were necessary.

First, the deputy governor personally visited and monitored the county office civil service office and the town and township civil service offices to inspect the actual conditions, environment, and processing systems of the civil service departments from the perspective of the civil service users.

The monitoring confirmed issues with the basic environment, atmosphere, and processing guidance systems of the civil service offices, leading to the implementation of intensive friendliness measures.

Judging that the core of friendly service is dedicated civil service guidance personnel, one staff member was permanently assigned to assist throughout the entire process from the visitor’s arrival to their departure.

When a civil service user enters, they are greeted, their purpose of visit is confirmed, and they are guided to the relevant service counter. Assistance is provided to users hesitant due to unfamiliarity with the unmanned civil service issuance machines and electronic map systems.

For residents struggling with filling out application forms, guidance on how to complete them is provided to ensure that the friendliness is tangibly felt by the civil service users. Visitors are also escorted to the exit as a courtesy when leaving.

Additionally, to enhance the efficiency of the civil service office and enable easy and quick processing, the county has improved signage, operated consultation corners for socially disadvantaged groups, equipped convenience devices such as braille guides and magnifiers, and regularly updated civil service manuals to create a friendly environment.

In particular, to allow many residents to use the civil service office with peace of mind from viruses and ultrafine dust and other pollutants, an aseptic air purification system was installed, and regular ventilation and cleanliness activities are conducted to maintain a pleasant and clean indoor environment.

Under the leadership of the head of the General Civil Service Division, friendliness training and work seminars are held every Tuesday before work begins.

A visitor identified as Mr. P, who visited the county office civil service office, said, “I came today to handle matters related to a building, and from the entrance, they kindly asked about my purpose and guided me, so I finished comfortably. The civil service office felt cozy and not unfamiliar, and they treated me kindly and warmly, so it seems noticeably changed.”

Mr. J left a thank-you post on the “Let’s Praise Gurye-gun Office” bulletin board, saying, “I inquired by phone about the Special Real Estate Measures Act, and they explained it very kindly.”

Governor Kim Sun-ho said, “Employees working in the civil service departments should strive to provide prompt and friendly service with pride and confidence as the face of the county. Each must have expertise in their work to give trust to civil service users and increase satisfaction through active communication.”

Meanwhile, the county operates 16 civil service counters, including for mountain area use permits, with an average of 90 civil service users visiting daily. The county plans to continue providing customer-oriented services through ongoing friendliness monitoring.

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