[This Person] Jeong Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, Discloses Mobile Number to Residents, Volunteering as a 'Civil Complaint Solver'

Approximately 150 text messages are received monthly on average, mostly from Seongdong-gu residents regarding traffic, safety, and other daily civil complaints... Responses within 1-2 days

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung Won-oh, the mayor of Seongdong-gu, is actively communicating by publicly sharing his mobile phone number with residents and acting as a 'civil complaint solver.'

Mayor Jung’s mobile phone (text-only) receives a large volume of messages every day, regardless of weekdays or weekends. On average, about 150 messages are received monthly, most of which are various civil complaints from Seongdong-gu residents. The types of complaints mainly concern daily life administrative areas such as transportation and safety, often requesting solutions to inconveniences. Residents also suggest minor policy ideas or improvements through text messages.

Especially since last year, inquiries and suggestions related to COVID-19 have increased significantly. Residents ask questions via text to the mayor about quarantine guidelines such as social distancing and vaccine administration. Mayor Jung responds to received messages within 1 to 2 days.

For matters requiring prompt action, he visits the site directly with relevant departments to find solutions together with the responsible personnel. For issues that take a long time, he continuously communicates with the complainants while guiding them on the direction of complaint handling.

Communication through the mayor’s mobile phone has a very high satisfaction rate among residents. Since the mayor personally reviews and responds, trust is also high. One complainant said, “It feels refreshing that the mayor personally visits the site and handles the issue quickly,” adding, “I was also impressed by the detailed and kind guidance provided.”

Mayor Jung Won-oh not only communicates by publicly sharing his mobile phone number with residents but also directly interacts with them through social networking service (SNS) channels such as blogs and Facebook, carefully listening to various voices of residents and reflecting them in policies.

Seongdong-gu has earned strong trust from residents, ranking first among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts with a resident trust score of 5.37 out of 10 in the ‘2020 Seoul Survey Urban Policy Indicator Survey’ announced by Seoul City last April.

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