Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Monitors Civil Complaints 'In Real Time'

[Seoul District News] Online and Offline Civil Complaints, From Status to Results, District Mayor Directly Checks in System & Civil Complaint Assistants Assigned to All Departments and Neighborhoods · Call Bells Enhance Convenience for Both Complainants and Staff

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su · photo) has drastically revamped the existing civil complaint reception and processing procedures with the goal of prompt and transparent civil complaint handling centered on residents.

The district announced that it has established an integrated civil complaint management system that manages complaints processed through various online and offline channels in one place, and assigned dedicated civil complaint consultation staff called ‘Civil Complaint Guidance Assistants’ to all departments and community service centers.

Currently, Mapo-gu receives and processes online civil complaints through three systems: the district office website, the Saeol administrative system, and the Response Center (Seoul City 120). Including phone calls and visits, residents have even more ways to submit complaints to the district office.

With the introduction of the integrated civil complaint management system, complaints that were previously scattered across multiple channels are now gathered in one place for systematic management, enabling real-time monitoring.

Mayor Park Gang-su of Mapo-gu instructed, “Resolving civil complaints is half of Mapo-gu’s administration, and since complaints are the top priority, all complaint processing statuses within the system will be directly checked by the mayor and the executive team (deputy mayor, relevant bureau chiefs, audit officer).” He also emphasized special care in building and managing the system to ensure residents’ personal information is strictly protected.

To enhance resident convenience and minimize gaps in complaint processing, the district also implemented the ‘Civil Complaint Guidance Assistant’ system in all district office departments and community service centers.

The ‘Civil Complaint Guidance Assistant’ service assists visitors and guides them through complaint processing. Since the 8th elected term, the district has assigned public workers to handle guidance duties in places with many visiting complainants, such as the district office’s comprehensive civil complaint office and community service centers.

Previously, in general departments within the district office without Civil Complaint Guidance Assistants, visiting complainants had to find the responsible official and handle complaint reception and consultation on their own, which was somewhat inconvenient. When the relevant department was unclear, residents often experienced the so-called ‘civil complaint roundabout,’ wandering from one department to another.

To eliminate such resident inconveniences and assist prompt and accurate complaint handling, the district now operates the Civil Complaint Guidance Assistant service in all departments (and community centers) on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., including lunch hours.

To prevent long waits caused by not finding the responsible person or department, a ‘civil complaint bell’ has been installed in each department. When the bell rings, the Civil Complaint Guidance Assistant comes out to provide prompt guidance and consultation, and if the wrong department was visited, they accompany the visitor directly to the correct department to facilitate complaint processing.

The civil complaint bell improves convenience not only for visiting complainants but also for staff. Park Hyo-eun, an official from Mapo-gu Urban Planning Division, said, “Previously, when someone came to the office, it was difficult to tell if they were there for a complaint or another matter, so it was hard to step out promptly. Now, since visitors with complaints ring the bell, we can clearly understand their purpose, making complaint handling much easier.”

Mapo-gu has assigned dedicated civil service assistants called 'Civil Service Guide Helpers' to all departments and community service centers, and has also installed exclusive bells for the convenience of civil petitioners.

Additionally, the complaint reception desk on the 2nd floor comprehensive civil complaint office has been replaced with a design-friendly desk that is convenient for wheelchair users, and priority counters for pregnant women and the elderly are being operated as part of ongoing improvement projects to enhance resident convenience in civil complaint services.

A complainant named Han, who visited the comprehensive civil complaint office in a wheelchair, shared, “Previously, I couldn’t properly position my wheelchair inside the complaint reception desk, which made it uncomfortable to talk with staff. Thanks to the changes considering the convenience of people with disabilities, using a wheelchair has become more comfortable and safer,” expressing their satisfaction.

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