[Interview] Yudonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, "Establishing an On-site Mayor's Office at the Vaccine Prevention Center to Continue Communication with Residents"

Since the inauguration of the 7th term mayor of Mapo District, the first pledge project was the establishment of 'Mapo 1st Street,' an online and offline interactive communication platform for Mapo residents, emphasizing communication with residents as the highest value. Following the government's announcement in August last year to expand housing supply in Sangam-dong, a 24-hour 'On-site Mayor's Office' has been operated at the plaza in front of Mapo District Office's main gate. On the 15th, the On-site Mayor's Office was also operated at the vaccination center to directly collect residents' opinions.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the continuity of Lunar New Year celebrations must be maintained. We are ready to go anywhere where we can communicate with residents.”

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo District, stated in an interview with this publication that he is gaining attention for operating the nation’s first ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ at a COVID-19 vaccination center, expressing his determination to further strengthen on-site communication by visiting residents directly.

Since taking office as the 7th elected mayor of Mapo District, Mayor Yoo has emphasized ‘communication’ with residents as the highest value guiding district administration. As his first campaign pledge, he established ‘Mapo 1st Street,’ an interactive online and offline communication platform for Mapo residents, laying the foundation for a communication administration where residents’ valuable opinions can be realized as policies.

Mayor Yoo said, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, social distancing has become routine, and opportunities to meet residents face-to-face and hear their vivid voices on-site have greatly diminished, which is very regrettable. Through the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ at the vaccination center, I will get closer to the voices of residents.”

This is Mayor Yoo’s second ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ initiative, following the temporary 24-hour ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ operated last August in front of the main gate plaza of Mapo District Office to address unsettled public sentiment and listen to residents’ opinions after the government announced the expansion plan for housing supply in Sangam-dong.

The current operation of the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ also originated from Mayor Yoo’s idea, judging that “since not only elderly vaccination recipients but also their guardians visit the vaccination center, it is a golden opportunity to hear diverse voices from residents.”

The ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ is set up on the 3rd floor of the Mapo Residents Sports Center (Mangwon-dong), at the COVID-19 vaccination center, operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The operation period is from April 15, the opening day of the vaccination center, until the center’s closure.

However, considering the COVID-19 situation, the district plans to strictly adhere to quarantine rules by limiting consultation time to within 30 minutes and restricting simultaneous visitors to three people during the operation of the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office.’

Mayor Yoo said, “We plan to collect residents’ opinions on local issues at the On-site Mayor’s Office and also listen to minor inconveniences encountered in daily life. Suggestions received on the day will be compiled and forwarded to the relevant departments, and I will personally monitor the progress continuously.”

On the first day of operation, Mayor Yoo stayed all day at the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office,’ frequently supporting residents’ COVID-19 vaccinations and overseeing the vaccination center’s operations, expressing his anticipation for future meetings with residents on-site.

Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said, “When I met residents at the vaccination center on the 15th, they warmly welcomed and encouraged me, which made me feel that opening the ‘On-site Mayor’s Office’ was the right decision. Going forward, I will continuously communicate with residents through various methods, including the On-site Mayor’s Office, striving to implement open administration and uphold my belief that ‘the answer to all problems lies on-site.’”

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