Guro-gu Establishes Record with 12 Consecutive Years of Manifesto Awards

[Seoul Autonomous District Manifesto Competition Award News] Seongdong-gu Wins Best Award for 6 Consecutive Years at Manifesto Best Practice Competition... Gwanak-gu Achieves Top Award for Implementing Resident-Centered Smart City with Korea's First Real-Time Urban Data Service... Geumcheon-gu Wins Best Award in Population Structure Change Response Category

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) won the Grand Prize in the Anti-Corruption, Integrity, and Rights Improvement category at the ‘2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition’.

Since receiving the Excellence Award in the Local Election Pledge Book category in 2010, Guro-gu has consecutively won awards for 12 years up to this year in various categories hosted by the Manifesto organization: Excellence in Integrity in 2011, Grand Prize in Job Pledge in 2012, Excellence in Pledge Implementation in 2013, Grand Prize in Election Pledge Book in 2014, Grand Prize in Urban Regeneration in 2015, Excellence in Youth Issue Resolution in 2016, Grand Prize in Regional Culture Activation in 2017, Grand Prize in Election Pledge Book in 2018, Grand Prize in Pledge Implementation Plan Evaluation in 2019, Grand Prize in Citizen Participation and Village Autonomy in 2019, and Grand Prize in Regional Culture Activation in 2020. It also set a record of winning the Grand Prize for 5 consecutive years.

The competition, jointly hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and Incheon Research Institute, was divided into seven categories: Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement; Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation; Population Structure Change Response; Climate Environment; Electronic Democracy Enhancement; Regional Culture Activation; and Community Strengthening. A total of 376 cases were submitted by basic local governments nationwide, with 209 passing the first preliminary round.

On the 8th, the competition’s best practice presentations and real-time judging were conducted online. Each local government’s submitted case presentation videos were streamed on YouTube and evaluated by the judges.

As a result, Guro-gu won the Grand Prize in the Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement category with the project ‘Guro-gu, Policy for the Normalization of Integrity’.

Guro-gu has implemented various integrity policies such as the ‘Integrity Certification System’ which certifies individuals and departments upon achieving certain target goals, the ‘Ombudsman Hearing Attendance System’ which involves ombudsmen in hearings before administrative sanctions, the ‘One-Strike-Out System’ which tolerates no corruption cases, and regular education to enhance employees’ integrity mindset. They also established a meticulous recall system including integrity text messages, mobile surveys, and integrity happy calls to ensure transparent and fair work processing.

Additionally, Guro-gu was the first basic local government nationwide to establish a citizen audit ombudsman system allowing audits up to the mayor level, and created an integrity meal ticket system to eradicate hospitality culture, thereby enhancing trust in construction management, supervision, and contract fields.

These efforts stemmed from Mayor Lee Sung’s exemplary leadership. Right after taking office in 2010, Mayor Lee attracted attention by reducing his office size from 108㎡ to one-third, 34㎡. He also continued to use the previous mayor’s large official vehicle for seven more years without replacing it with a new one, and when replacement became inevitable due to frequent breakdowns, he switched to a compact electric vehicle.

He consistently emphasized integrity as the top value for public officials and has worked hard to create a clean and corruption-free public service environment.

The Manifesto judging committee praised that the local government head led by example, making ‘integrity’ a daily practice for all employees and establishing various anti-corruption systems within the organization, achieving a high level of integrity.

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) won the Grand Prize in the Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation category at the ‘2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition’.

Seongdong-gu has earned the honor of winning the Grand Prize for six consecutive years, receiving the Grand Prize in Job Creation in 2015, Grand Prize in Social Economy in 2016, Grand Prize in Youth Issue Resolution in 2017, Grand Prize in Job and Economy in 2019, Grand Prize in Job and Employment Improvement in 2020, and Excellence Award in Safety Autonomy.

Now in its 12th edition, the competition discovers, shares, learns, and spreads excellent policy cases of basic local governments nationwide. It is held annually in years without local elections and was jointly hosted this year by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and Incheon Research Institute, conducted in an ontact (online contact) format on the 8th of this month.

In this competition, Seongdong-gu submitted the project ‘Starting from Seongdong, Becoming the First Bill: Seongdong-gu’s Leading Essential Worker Protection and Support Policy’ in the Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation category.

The policy for essential workers, which started in Seongdong, led government and National Assembly movements, resulting in the enactment of the law on designation of essential work and protection/support for workers in May 2021, just eight months after the first ordinance was enacted. Subsequently, 74 local governments enacted similar ordinances, making Seongdong’s policy a standard model for central and local governments, earning high praise from the judges.

This year’s competition received 376 cases from 159 basic local governments nationwide. After the first document screening, 209 excellent cases advanced to the finals. Judging was conducted by combining evaluations from judges appointed from civil society, academia, and media experts in local autonomy, and online evaluations by participating local governments.

In September last year, Seongdong-gu enacted the nation’s first ‘Seongdong-gu Essential Worker Protection and Support Ordinance’ and participated in various policy forums such as the Blue House, National Assembly, and Seoul Human Rights Conference to raise awareness of the role and importance of essential workers. They also conducted the ‘Thank You, Essential Workers’ relay campaign, attracting participation from over 400 key figures to spread social respect for essential workers.

Mayor Jung Won-oh of Seongdong-gu said, “Continuing from the 6th to the 7th term of the elected government, the great achievement of winning the Grand Prize for six consecutive years at the Manifesto competition is the result of efforts to keep precious promises with residents. I am grateful that 92.3% of respondents in the recent 3rd anniversary public opinion survey of the 7th term expressed satisfaction with the district administration. Feeling a greater sense of responsibility, I will continue to strive to create an inclusive city for the socially vulnerable, a city dreaming of sustainable development, and a smart and knowledge-based city through differentiated innovative policies reflecting the rapidly changing administrative environment.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) won the Grand Prize in the Community Strengthening category at the ‘2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition’ held on the 8th. With this award, Gwangjin-gu achieved the feat of winning the competition for three consecutive years.

Hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters, this event was organized to share and spread excellent policy cases of basic local governments in the 7th elected government term nationwide, presenting practical action models and policy alternatives for local governments.

Under the theme ‘New Future, Bold Journey,’ this year’s competition was divided into seven categories including community strengthening. A total of 159 basic local governments nationwide participated in the policy case contest. Through the first document screening and second video online screening, excellent and grand prize cases were selected.

Gwangjin-gu submitted the project titled ‘The True Beginning of Resident Sovereignty! Cooperation and Public Deliberation to Solve Local Issues with Residents’ in the Community Strengthening category.

This case involved resolving conflicts between parents and nearby residents regarding the construction of a roadway in front of Yangjin Elementary School in Jang-dong through public deliberation. The public-private cooperation reached an alternative and gathered residents’ opinions to solve the local issue, earning high evaluation from the judges.

Meanwhile, Gwangjin-gu previously won the Excellence Award in the Newsletter category in 2019, and the Grand Prize in Safety Autonomy and Excellence Awards in Newsletter and Broadcasting categories in 2020, gaining external recognition for its policy achievements in the 7th elected government term.

Mayor Kim Seon-gap of Gwangjin-gu said, “By establishing institutional foundations through the enactment of the ‘Public Deliberation Committee Establishment and Operation Ordinance’ and the ‘Public-Private Cooperation Activation Ordinance’ early in the term, and maintaining the policy principle that ‘the center of district administration is the residents,’ we have achieved good results. I will do my best to keep promises with residents during the remaining term of the 7th elected government.”

Gwanak-gu won the ‘Grand Prize’ at the ‘2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition’ with the project ‘Nation’s First Real-Time Urban Data Service Closely Related to Daily Life’.

The ‘Manifesto Best Practices Competition’ is significant as a venue to realize new democracy and a true local autonomy model, gathering excellent pledge implementation cases nationwide to envision the direction of true local autonomy.

This year’s competition, under the slogan ‘New Future, Bold Journey,’ was held in a contest format divided into seven categories including Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement, and Electronic Democracy Enhancement. A total of 376 cases from 159 basic local governments nationwide competed.

Gwanak-gu’s project ‘Smart Gwanak Construction for Real-Time Urban Data Service,’ the nation’s first in the Electronic Democracy Enhancement category, was recognized as an innovative administrative case and gained internal and external recognition.

Previously, 86 types of real-time living and safety data managed separately by various public institutions such as Seoul City, Korea Meteorological Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Nuclear Safety Commission were integrated and developed into a one-stop web service that residents can easily check, all developed internally without budget.

Through this, residents can instantly grasp the status of COVID-19 confirmed cases and local fires or emergencies, which were previously known only through news, via the ‘Smart Gwanak Service’ in real time.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “The nation’s first real-time urban data service closely related to daily life guarantees fast and accurate information, the foundation of electronic democracy, and citizens’ convenience all at once.” He emphasized preparing differentiated services unique to Gwanak-gu for creating a smart data ecosystem as data becomes the focus of the nation’s future growth industry in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Since the launch of the 7th elected government in Gwanak-gu, the district has achieved the feat of winning awards for three consecutive years: Grand Prize in 2019, Excellence Award in 2020, and this year’s award. Along with this, it has consistently fulfilled its role as a promise keeper with residents by winning the 2018 Manifesto Promise Award Grand Prize, 2019 Pledge Implementation Plan Grand Prize (SA), 2020 Pledge Implementation Evaluation Excellence Award (A), and 2021 Pledge Implementation and Information Disclosure Evaluation Grand Prize (SA) for four consecutive years.

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced on the 10th that it won the Grand Prize in the Population Structure Change Response category at the ‘2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition’ hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters.

The competition was held online with a total of 376 cases from 159 basic local governments nationwide competing in seven categories including Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement, and Electronic Democracy Enhancement.

Geumcheon-gu was honored with the Grand Prize for its excellent senior job policy, presenting a customized job development theme to prepare for the super-aged society in the Population Structure Change Response category.

At the start of the 7th elected government term, Geumcheon-gu launched the ‘Geumcheon Senior Club,’ a dedicated institution for senior jobs tailored to the rapidly progressing super-aged society in the region. Within two years of opening, the Geumcheon Senior Club was selected as the best senior job institution by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It operates various high-quality senior job projects such as the ‘Together Green Cafe’ where seniors work as baristas, the senior convenience store ‘Good Store’ linked with large corporate social contribution projects, and the ‘Apartment Delivery Service’ tailored to seniors.

The ‘Together Green Cafe’ operates up to five branches, with all participating seniors expressing high satisfaction with their jobs. The ‘Good Store’ is the first senior convenience store in Seoul, attracting significant social interest through media coverage, and has expanded to a second branch.

Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “Believing that the best welfare for seniors is jobs, we created various workplaces tailored to seniors with the Geumcheon Senior Club, which led to the selection as the best policy. Encouraged by this award, we will strive to discover more diverse and high-quality customized senior jobs so that many seniors can enjoy a worry-free and prosperous old age.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) won the Grand Prize in the Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation category and the Excellence Award in the Anti-Corruption and Integrity category at the ‘2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition’ on the 9th, achieving a double crown and marking the third consecutive year of winning the Grand Prize in the 7th elected government term.

Now in its 12th edition, the ‘Manifesto Best Practices Competition’ is held by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters to actively discover excellent policy cases of basic local governments and spread them nationwide, held in years without local elections. This year, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, it was held fully online for the second consecutive year.

Under the slogan ‘New Future, Bold Journey,’ this year’s competition evaluated cases in seven categories: Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement; Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation; Population Structure Change Response; Climate Environment; Electronic Democracy Enhancement; Regional Culture; and Community Strengthening.

A total of 376 cases were submitted from 159 basic local governments nationwide, with 209 excellent cases advancing to the finals after the first screening.

Yeongdeungpo-gu submitted the cases ‘The Nth Job with the Community, Dreaming of a Second Act for Middle-aged and Older Adults’ in the Job Creation category and ‘Corruption ZERO, Enhancing Transparency in Yeongdeungpo through Digital Integrity’ in the Anti-Corruption category. Both projects received high evaluations for creativity, suitability, communication, preparation, and presentation skills, winning the Grand Prize and Excellence Award respectively.

The Grand Prize-winning job creation case was highly praised by judges for establishing the ‘Middle-aged and Older Job Hope Platform’ supporting the second life of retirees in their 40s to 60s with professional expertise, operating customized capacity-building programs amid the reality of a decreasing retirement age and increasing life expectancy leading to a higher proportion of middle-aged economic activity population.

The Excellence Award-winning anti-corruption case was recognized for building the nation’s first blockchain-based evaluation system and introducing customized FHPA executive corruption risk diagnosis evaluations to promote transparent administration.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il of Yeongdeungpo-gu said, “The honor of winning the Grand Prize for three consecutive years at the Manifesto Best Practices Competition today is a meaningful result of mutual respect and understanding between residents and district administration cooperating actively in all fields. Based on the core values of ‘communication and cooperation’ in the 7th elected government term, we will do our best to realize an open Yeongdeungpo and discover more excellent cases in all areas.”

Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) won the Grand Prize in both the Climate Environment and Community Strengthening categories at the 2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition jointly hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and Incheon Research Institute.

The competition, under the theme ‘New Future, Bold Journey,’ was held to establish a local democracy model and propose policy alternatives in response to socio-economic paradigm shifts such as population structure changes. It invited excellent pledges and policy cases in seven categories: Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement; Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation; Population Structure Change Response; Climate Environment; Electronic Democracy Enhancement; Regional Culture Activation; and Community Strengthening.

Dobong-gu won the Grand Prize in the Climate Environment and Community Strengthening categories with the cases ‘Designing 2050 Carbon Neutrality in Dobong, Seoul with 330,000 Residents’ and ‘Solving Local Community Issues through Activation of Deliberative Public Forums,’ respectively, becoming the only Seoul district to win two Grand Prizes.

Dobong-gu has been promoting the ‘Race To Zero’ policy following the stages of promise-plan-implementation-report to realize carbon neutrality by 2050. It was the first nationwide to codify carbon neutrality through an ordinance and the first Seoul district to establish and announce the 2050 Dobong-gu Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. It also operates sustainable deliberative public forums under the theme ‘Living Dobong, Thriving Dobong! Reducing Dobong by 1℃’ to respond to the climate crisis, working with residents to solve local community issues.

Mayor Lee Dong-jin of Dobong-gu said, “This award proves that Dobong-gu’s policies are heading in the right direction with residents. We will do our best to create a better future for Dobong through sincere pledge implementation and excellent policy discovery.”

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) won the Excellence Award in the Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation category at the 2021 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practices Competition.

Jointly hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and Incheon Research Institute, the competition was divided into seven categories: Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Rights Improvement; Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation; Population Structure Change Response; Climate Environment; Electronic Democracy Enhancement; Regional Culture Activation; and Community Strengthening. Among 376 cases submitted by basic local governments nationwide, excellent cases were finally selected in each category through first document screening and second online screening.

Yangcheon-gu received the Excellence Award in the Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation category for projects including the ‘Youth Digital Supporters,’ ‘Resident Technology School,’ and ‘Community Service Activation Project.’

First, the ‘Youth Digital Supporters,’ the nation’s first project attempted in Yangcheon-gu, involves talented young people with excellent digital skills supporting local small business owners in transitioning to a non-face-to-face and digital economy. Young people familiar with the internet and mobile platforms perform digital marketing and online sales channel development for local small businesses struggling due to COVID-19. This project was especially well evaluated for creating youth jobs through digital inclusion and realizing regional coexistence values in the post-COVID era.

The district also operates the ‘Resident Technology School’ to nurture professionals through specialized technical education based on resident demand, fostering a local virtuous cycle social economy ecosystem that creates new jobs and income.

Moreover, the ‘Community Service Activation Project’ was promoted to create jobs and establish a foundation for growth of resident-led local enterprises based on cooperation between public and private sectors within the region. Utilizing local shared facilities, the project operates cafes and care services, creating seven jobs and establishing a local community enterprise.

The Manifesto judging committee highly evaluated Yangcheon-gu’s continuous efforts to discover and nurture industries suited to local characteristics and enhance job seekers’ employment capabilities through vocational skill development, thereby promoting future-oriented job policies.

Mayor Kim Soo-young of Yangcheon-gu said, “Following last year’s Excellence Award in the Super-Aged Society Response category for ‘Story of an Age-Friendly City,’ I am very pleased that Yangcheon’s ‘My Job (job) Creating the Future of People’ won the Excellence Award in the Job Creation and Income Inequality Alleviation category in 2021. We will continue to do our best to become a vibrant city where working joy is shared through solid job policy implementation.”

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