Gwanak-gu Communication Bulletin Wide Open!... Strengthening Communication with Residents and New Generation Staff

[Seoul District News] 24-Hour Communication Channel 'Online Gwanakcheong (聽)' Fully Open... Gwanak-gu Leads Creating a Young and Flexible Work Culture... Seongbuk-gu to Hold 6th Seongbuk Culture Vacance from July 29 to August 7

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is further activating the ‘Online Gwanakcheong(聽)’, an online platform where anyone can participate in district administration, in line with the communication administration of the 8th local government.

Gwanak-gu has been operating ‘Gwanakcheong(聽)’, where residents communicate face-to-face with the mayor, since 2018, and since 2019, it has also been running ‘Online Gwanakcheong(聽)’ to enable communication remotely for those who find it difficult to visit in person due to time constraints.

Online Gwanakcheong consists of six menus: ▲Gwanakcheong(聽) ▲Policy Participation ▲Resident Participatory Budget ▲Co-governance Gwanak ▲Manifesto & Pledges ▲Resident Autonomy Committee, making it a 365-day direct democracy online platform where residents can freely participate without restrictions of time and space.

With the resumption of ‘Gwanakcheong(聽)’, which had been suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis, the ‘Online Gwanakcheong(聽)’ also relaxed the mayor’s response criteria to encourage more residents to participate and have diverse opinions reflected in district administration.

First, the department response criteria for resident-proposed projects were lowered from requiring 10 or more sympathizers to 5, and the response period was shortened from 30 days to 15 days.

Also, the requirement for the mayor to respond directly to proposals was significantly eased from 300 comments to 100 comments.

The ‘Gwanak-gu Asks!’ corner, a channel for collecting opinions on major district policies, has been activated to encourage resident participation. Proposals submitted during the ‘Creative Proposal Contest’ planned for September will be thoroughly reviewed by departments regardless of the number of sympathies.

So far, the district has received about 250 diverse proposals through the Online Gwanakcheong(聽) policy participation corner and expects even more varied opinions to be reflected in district administration in the future.

Reviewed proposals will be selected as excellent proposals through evaluation, with a maximum prize of 1 million KRW awarded. Additionally, an event will be held until December where residents who make the most policy proposals or comments each month will receive ‘Gwanak Love Gift Certificates’. Detailed information can be found on the district office website or the Online Gwanakcheong(聽) popup window.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “We will further activate Online Gwanakcheong(聽) so that participation becomes a daily habit and proposals become policies, actively reflecting residents’ suggestions and opinions in district administration.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is taking the lead in understanding the culture and values of young MZ generation employees and creating a young and flexible workplace culture.

As part of ‘Creating a Healthy Workplace Culture,’ the district is trying various projects that consider young employees who will lead the organization and create positive synergy within the organization through harmony between new and old generations.

The ‘Welcome, This Kind of Mentoring is New, Right?’ program, launched for the first time this year, reflects the opinions of participating MZ generation employees. It is a three-month mentoring activity where 2-3 year employees become mentors to new employees, helping them adapt to public service life like friends.

The program focuses on improving new public officials’ organizational adaptability by familiarizing them with the workplace atmosphere and sharing work know-how as they take their first steps in public service.

In addition to individual team activities over three months, participants engaged in various meetings and communications such as exploring Gwanak-gu’s famous spots followed by drawing picture diaries, and discussing organizational innovation ideas, boosting confidence in their new public service life.

By operating an open chat room that leverages the MZ generation’s preference for SNS, real-time participant opinions were reflected, and sharing mentoring activities on the employee bulletin board provided vitality to other employees, leading organizational culture innovation.

A new employee who participated in the mentoring said, “While I received help with work, the best part was having a reliable senior to lean on comfortably in an unfamiliar environment,” expressing gratitude.

Also, since last year, the district has been conducting ‘New Employee Empathy Talk with Uncle Jun-hee, Listening to the MZ Generation,’ providing a comfortable space for new employees to freely talk.

Mayor Park Jun-hee emphasized, “I arranged a place where I listen to stories rather than just deliver them, allowing free conversation with new employees,” highlighting sincere empathy and communication across generations.

So far, 176 new employees have participated in the empathy talks, communicating freely with the mayor as if talking to a friendly neighbor rather than a workplace superior, receiving great responses from new employees.

Additionally, various programs such as employee education lectures understanding MZ generation characteristics and trends, reading events like ‘Escape from Kkondae, Becoming a Generation-empathetic Leader,’ and meetings with department heads upon probation completion titled ‘New Employee, Are You Eating Well?’ are changing mutual thoughts, attitudes, and determination between new and old generations.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Collaboration based on trust and respect among members is very important and directly linked to organizational development. As the MZ generation is now the main driving force of our era, we will strive to create a workplace culture where the MZ generation empathizes and harmonizes with existing generations, enabling both individual public officials and the organization to grow further.”

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) will hold the 6th Seongbuk Cultural Vacance for ten days from July 29 to August 7 at the Jungnangcheon Multipurpose Plaza (near the main gate of Doosan Apartments at Seokgye Station, close to Jungnangcheon).

Seongbuk Cultural Vacance is a representative water play festival in the Gangbuk area that has transformed elementary school playgrounds into water parks, attracting over 10,000 visitors annually. After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seongbuk-gu has prepared a giant slide measuring 50 meters and a long ten-day period for residents who have eagerly awaited this event.

In addition to the giant slide, large, medium, and children’s slides are also prepared. Various food options and performances, as well as face painting and experiential play, are abundantly provided. This event is designed so that not only parents visiting for their children but families of all ages can enjoy and relieve heatwave stress. Seongbuk-gu expects it to create precious memories especially for children, adolescents, and parents who cannot go on vacation for various reasons.

The district is also fully committed to the safety of citizens visiting Seongbuk Cultural Vacance. Banners clearly informing essential quarantine guidelines such as COVID-19 prevention rules and mask-wearing are posted throughout the festival site to raise visitors’ awareness. At the entrance, a quarantine gate enabling full-body disinfection, temperature measurement, and hand sanitization is installed to prevent COVID-19 infection and maintain a safe environment. Facilities used by many, such as restrooms, will be disinfected frequently.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “We ask for much interest in the free Seongbuk Cultural Vacance so that not only Seongbuk residents but also citizens in the Gangbuk area can enjoy a joyful summer without exclusion.” He added, “During the festival, we will closely monitor the local COVID-19 situation and quarantine authorities’ policies to operate a seamless COVID-19 prevention system. We hope visitors will also comply with quarantine rules and cooperate to have a safe and enjoyable time.”

Seongbuk Cultural Vacance will be held free of charge at the Jungnangcheon Multipurpose Plaza near the main gate of Doosan Apartments at Seokgye Station in Seongbuk-gu from July 29 to August 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Since it attracts not only Seongbuk residents but also citizens from the Gangbuk area, using public transportation is recommended. Opening may vary depending on weather conditions and social distancing policies, so it is advisable to check detailed information on the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation website.

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