Seongbuk-gu Leads Compliance with Conflict of Interest Prevention Obligations

[Seoul District News] Lee Seung-ro, Seongbuk-gu Mayor, Pledges Strict Compliance with Conflict of Interest Prevention on 27th First 'Clean Seongbuk Day' of 8th Term; Agency Heads and Senior Officials Relay Oath to Actively Promote Stable Establishment of Conflict of Interest Prevention Law ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Accepts Policy Ideas, Requests, and Complaints for New Yeongdeungpo in 8th Term; Submissions Divided into 'Policy Proposals' and 'One-line Suggestions'; Up to 2 Million KRW Award for Outstanding Policy Proposals ... Gwanak-gu Announces '2022 Alley Economy Recovery Support Project' Contest

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro · photo) conducted the ‘Institution Head and Senior Officials Relay Pledge to Comply with Conflict of Interest Prevention Obligations’ to actively express its commitment internally and externally to the stable establishment of the system related to the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for public officials.

On the 27th, the first ‘Clean Seongbuk Day’ since the launch of the 8th local government, District Mayor Lee Seung-ro signed the ‘Pledge to Comply with Conflict of Interest Prevention Obligations,’ pledging to comply with the major obligations under the ‘Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for Public Officials’ on behalf of about 1,600 Seongbuk-gu employees.

The Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for public officials was enacted on May 19th. This pledge by Seongbuk-gu contains a commitment to comply with the main behavioral standards of the Act, such as ‘performing duties fairly and with integrity without being influenced by private interests as a public official’ and ‘implementing measures to prevent conflict of interest situations in advance.’

The contents of the pledge will be posted on the internal administrative network and the district office website, and in the future, a relay pledge by senior officials of grade 4 and above will be conducted in a challenge format on every Clean Seongbuk Day to continuously attract the interest of employees and residents.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “All public officials in Seongbuk-gu will comply with the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, will not pursue personal gains, and will perform their duties fairly and with integrity so that Seongbuk-gu can become a public institution trusted by its residents.”

Seongbuk-gu achieved the highest grade of 2nd place among district-level local governments in the ‘Public Institution Integrity Measurement’ conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in 2021. The district has designated the fourth Wednesday of every month as ‘Clean Seongbuk Day’ and conducts various events to internalize the integrity awareness of its public officials.

In particular, in May of this year, to ensure the stable establishment of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, the Audit Officer was designated as the Conflict of Interest Prevention Officer, and the ‘Seoul Special City Seongbuk-gu Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention System Operation Guidelines’ were established to build the foundation for system operation. Various educational and promotional integrity events are continuously being implemented.

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon · photo) announced that it will accept policy proposals from residents and public officials until August 21 to reflect diverse voices in the administration of the 8th local government.

The purpose is to provide opportunities for communication so that anyone can freely propose opinions, discover innovative and progressive policy ideas, and contribute to high-satisfaction administration and the establishment of an innovative culture.

Resident opinions are collected in two categories: ‘One-line Proposals’ and ‘Policy Proposals.’ ‘One-line Proposals’ allow residents to freely suggest points they hope for in the 8th local government or inconveniences they have experienced without being restricted by forms, and these will be used as reference materials for future administration.

‘Policy Proposals’ are public contest proposals under the Yeongdeungpo-gu Residents’ Idea System Ordinance, which must be written and submitted in the format of current status, improvement plans, and expected effects. If selected as a policy after review by the district proposal review committee, the proposer can receive a reward of up to 2 million KRW.

Anyone interested in Yeongdeungpo-gu can submit opinions by accessing the Yeongdeungpo-gu website (Resident Participation - Participation Square - 8th Local Government Policy Proposals) or by filling out a survey form at the reception desks on the first floor of the district office main building or local community centers.

Additionally, to collect proposals from public officials, the district has opened a ‘If I Were the District Mayor’ bulletin board on the internal administrative portal for public officials. Various opinions such as policy ideas, work efficiency improvement plans, and collaboration difficulties will be gathered to promote organizational culture innovation and improve administrative service quality.

Submitted proposals will be carefully reviewed by the relevant departments, and decisions on whether to reflect them in future administration will be made. Those whose proposals are adopted by the Yeongdeungpo-gu Proposal Review Committee will be individually notified of the processing results in September.

Cha Hae-yeop, Director of the Planning and Budget Division, said, “If you have any hopes for the new Yeongdeungpo in the 8th local government, please actively propose them through this resident proposal. We will work harder to implement a communication administration that listens even to the smallest voices of residents.”

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee · photo) was selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘2022 Alley Economy Recovery Support Project Contest,’ laying the groundwork for alley communities to solve and overcome problems in the local commercial district on their own.

The ‘Alley Economy Recovery Support Project’ is a project that supports alley communities such as merchants, merchant associations, and residents to autonomously collaborate to restore economic vitality to alley commercial districts suffering from difficulties due to COVID-19 and to foster competitive commercial districts.

The district applied for the contest under the theme ‘Seorim Dabok-gil Specialized Commercial District Development’ during the difficult times of COVID-19 and economic recession, securing a special grant of 470 million KRW. Notably, despite this being the first challenge in the nationwide contest for local governments, it was the only district in Seoul to be finally selected, adding significance.

In the contest evaluation, where the organization level of alley economy actors and project effectiveness were key criteria, the project received additional points for its eco-friendly specialized commercial district image project reflecting the demands of residents and merchants, and the high agreement rate among residents including landlords, demonstrating a model of a win-win economy.

The Seorim Dabok-gil (Seorim-dong) commercial district has been facing difficulties such as a sharp decline in visitors and sales due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid hollowing out of the nearby goshiwon (small, cheap rooms for students and workers), which has prevented young consumers from spending locally, leading to commercial district stagnation.

Through this contest project, the district will supply vitality centered on various themed projects such as ▲attractive local specialized commercial district ▲low-carbon green commercial district ▲smart and safe commercial district to attract the younger generation.

Old and dilapidated building exteriors will be decorated with murals featuring local content to add interest, and smart farms for eco-friendly local ingredient cultivation will be installed to attract consumers’ interest in line with the latest trends. In addition, various event projects linked with Byeolbitnaerincheon Stream and nearby commercial districts will be promoted to stimulate local consumption.

The district has prepared a mid- to long-term plan for revitalizing alley commercial districts by area so that alley commercial districts can grow independently, designating 10 major alley commercial districts and providing a self-sustaining commercial district foundation from merchant organization to road paving and signboard replacement. It also established a mid- to long-term plan containing specialization measures for alley commercial districts to develop into sustainable commercial districts, which will be implemented step-by-step until 2026.

Gwanak-gu’s efforts to revitalize the local economy have been well received externally, earning notable achievements such as the ‘Minister of the Interior and Safety Award at the Korea Small Business Owners Convention,’ ‘Grand Prize at the Alley Economy Support Project Best Practice Presentation Contest,’ and ‘Minister of SMEs and Startups Award for Small Supermarket Support and Development’ last year.

Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “I expect that being selected for this contest project will be a good opportunity to sprout the seeds of local commercial district revitalization efforts made so far.” He added, “As the encore district mayor, I will do my utmost to ensure that these projects continue steadily into the 8th local government and bring vitality to the local economy suffering from the economic recession.”

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