Nowon District Mayor Oh Seung-rok On Site! ...Unstoppable Progress in Public Welfare Activities Resumed

Since last July, embarked on a grand tour visiting 85 local social welfare facilities, 246 senior centers, and 19 neighborhood meetings... Leading to resident-centered innovative policies like nighttime heat relief shelters and holiday pet care services... Will continue communication administration finding answers with residents on site

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Oh Seung-rok, the mayor of Nowon District, has resumed visits to local communities that were temporarily halted due to COVID-19, embarking on a field-centered approach.

This community exploration was initiated with the purpose of visiting residents' living environments to engage in sincere and informal conversations.

The field visits, which began in July, started with 85 social welfare facilities. This was to keep the promise made two years ago to revisit these sites. However, when visits reached 14 welfare facilities, the COVID-19 social distancing measures were tightened, causing a temporary suspension of the community visits.

As restrictions on field administration eased following the phased recovery policy, Mayor Oh’s first step was toward the community sites. To date, he has visited 75 social welfare facilities.

Since September, he has been visiting senior centers to meet with elderly residents. Because seniors are often unfamiliar with smartphones or internet use, meeting them in person to hear their voices and have conversations is especially important. As of November, he has toured 86 senior centers. The suggestions gathered during these visits will be systematically managed through reporting sessions personally chaired by the mayor until they are fully addressed.

Starting from the 25th, he will begin holding meetings on local issues in 19 neighborhoods. Through these neighborhood meetings, the current status of local projects that residents are curious about will be shared, and hidden inconveniences and ideas for regional development will be collected. In this process, he will meet with over 300 people including resident autonomy committee members, community leaders, and general residents, directly encountering the vivid voices from the community.

Mayor Oh’s visits to local communities are not unfamiliar in the region. Holding the belief that “the answer lies in the field,” he has prioritized meeting residents directly at the site since his inauguration in 2018.

Notably, in 2019, his field tours extended to 246 senior centers and 65 social welfare facilities, followed by visits to local schools and daycare centers, earning attention as a “community grand journey.” Community visits do not end with a single meeting. Various proposals and complaints raised on-site are thoroughly reviewed by the relevant district office departments and related agencies, with the mayor personally overseeing the progress.

The achievements of these community explorations are significant. For example, the district government directly mediated to resolve local conflicts caused by complaints about obstructed views due to new church construction, and improved working conditions for welfare workers?issues that are difficult for the mayor to learn about through routine reporting systems. These efforts have effectively connected residents’ perspectives with the mayor’s determination to solve problems at every frontline of district administration.

Projects praised during the 7th elected term of Nowon District, such as the “Nighttime Heat Relief Shelter,” “Holiday Pet Care Service,” and “Healing Refrigerator,” are also seen as results reflecting Mayor Oh’s consistent commitment to field-centered, community-based initiatives.

The “2021 Neighborhood Local Issue Meetings,” starting from November 25 in Gongneung 2-dong and continuing until December 2 in Sanggye 10-dong, are held at locations convenient for local residents to gather, with sign language interpreters accompanying the meetings to encourage participation from diverse groups.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok stated, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, community visits were suspended, creating a thirst for meeting residents. Since the first step of community administration is to listen to voices from the field, I will listen more attentively, communicate meticulously, and carry out practical administration.”

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