Jung-gu 'Uri Dongnae Management Office' Boom-up Workshop Successfully Concluded

On the 18th, Sindang Nuri Center and 12 Dong Community Centers Conducted Simultaneously... Sharing Achievements of Resident-Led Neighborhood Management Platform 'Uri Dongne Gwanrisa Muso', Logo Song Release... Presentations on Governance, Specialized Projects, and Best Practices of 'Uri Dongne Gwanrisa Muso', Encouraging Participating Residents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho) held a 'Boom-up Workshop' on the 18th to share the achievements of the Jung-gu style resident autonomy core, 'Our Neighborhood Management Office' (hereafter Udongso), and to encourage participating residents.

About 60% of Jung-gu residents live in general houses outside of apartments. Compared to apartments, the cleaning and security situation in the densely populated general housing areas, where the majority of residents live, is relatively weak. 'Udongso' plays the role of an apartment management office in these densely populated housing areas.

Last year, the district conducted a survey of 500 Jung-gu residents to gather opinions on the operation of 'Udongso,' including a pros and cons vote, residents' willingness to use convenience services, preferred usage times, and residential environment improvement tasks. The survey results showed that 72.8% of respondents supported the operation of 'Udongso.'

Accordingly, starting with Hoehyeon-dong in February, the district installed 'Udongso' in 12 neighborhoods excluding commercial areas (Sogong-dong, Myeong-dong, Euljiro) to provide services such as ▲garbage disposal management ▲living quarantine ▲safety patrol ▲safe return home ▲parcel storage ▲sharing of daily necessities and tools.

All workers were hired through the Jung-gu style resident job project called 'Our Neighborhood Jobs.' Residents who are most familiar with local conditions directly identify problems in the area and quickly resolve them in ways desired by the residents.

The most popular activity is the Village Clean Coordinator program, which takes responsibility for the chronic garbage problem in alleyways. About 60 clean coordinators, composed of local residents, create and post promotional materials in habitual illegal dumping areas and also create flower beds. They conduct guidance activities at dumping sites and clean up garbage together with residents.

Besides these convenience services, 'Udongso' promotes specialized projects reflecting the characteristics and demands of each neighborhood. A representative example is Jungnim-dong's 'Jungnim Happy Laundry.' This service collects laundry by phone request, washes, dries, and delivers it for elderly residents living in poor housing conditions such as small rooms and goshiwon, who cannot install washing machines or have difficulty handling bulky laundry like bedding. Since its opening in March last year, 624 people have used the Happy Laundry service until October this year, processing a total of 1,783 pieces of bedding and other laundry.

'Cheonggu-dong Class,' a community space and learning center for Cheonggu-dong residents, holds different classes daily, gaining great popularity among residents.

Other specialized projects reflecting local residents' demands include Dasan-dong's 'Our Neighborhood Alley Lease System,' Sindang-dong's 'Save the Earth Gathering Transparent PET Bottle Group,' and Sindang 5-dong's 'Popup Eco Station.'

The existence of 'Udongso,' which plays a frontline role in resident autonomy, is thanks to the Jung-gu style dong government resident participation budget system. In 2019, the district became the first nationwide to establish a dong government department, transferring 77 tasks and budget planning authority from the district office to the dong community centers. This shifted the authority concentrated in the district office to the dong level to realize grassroots resident autonomy.

The 'Udongso Boom-up Workshop' was held simultaneously at Sindang Nuri Center and 12 dong community centers under quarantine rules, attended by Mayor Seoyangho, city and district council members, dong chiefs, and resident representatives.

The two-hour workshop shared achievements such as each dong's 'Udongso' governance, specialized programs, and best practices, and presented the Udongso logo song, 'Our Neighborhood Management Office Where Everyone is Happy.' After sharing participants' impressions and support messages, the event concluded with Mayor Seoyangho's encouragement and suggestions for future development.

Mayor Seoyangho of Jung-gu said, "It was a meaningful occasion to confirm the achievements made through cooperation between Udongso and residents. I once again thank the Udongso team leaders and residents participating in Our Neighborhood Jobs for their hard work. We will do our best to ensure that Udongso is not just a place that handles residential environment improvements and inconveniences in old housing areas but establishes itself as a resident salon where neighbors gather to communicate and solve local problems together."

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