Governor Kim Dong-yeon: "Public Service Must Break the Mold of Inertia"

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, urged provincial government officials and heads of public institutions to "break away from inertia, break the mold, and take a proactive attitude to actively respond to change."

On the 28th, at the December open provincial government meeting held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office, Governor Kim said, "Recently, we held Season 1 of Gyeongbasi (Time to Change Gyeonggi Province) seven times," adding, "It was a place to study what is necessary to quickly respond to the future dynamism of provincial administration, the economy, and changes in the world. I hope that through Gyeongbasi, we can change the consciousness and behaviors of public officials that are based on inertia, habit, and stability, which make it difficult to break the mold."

He continued, "In early January (next year), we plan to hold workshops for department heads and institution heads, as well as for section chiefs. I believe that doing it formally as in the past is worse than not doing it at all," emphasizing, "Through such opportunities, I hope we can gradually do things that allow people to freely express their thoughts without hesitation, freely discuss, and break the molds we have."

He then suggested on the spot, "In this spirit, let's change seats at the next meeting," proposing that the open provincial government meeting break away from the existing fixed seats and have public institution heads sit in the front rows in front of executives to freely discuss.

Furthermore, he said, "That is when creativity arises, and in policy implementation, it will be demand-oriented rather than supplier-oriented," promising, "We will highly evaluate, favor, and provide incentives to those who, while ensuring stability rather than following precedent-based administration, spread creativity and imagination."

Earlier, on the 26th, Governor Kim referred to the incident where a North Korean drone violated South Korea’s airspace, including Gyeonggi Province, emphasizing the need to move away from a passive stance.

He said, "When such an incident occurs, it is necessary to reassure the residents by explaining the situation and how we respond, and to convey the message that we care about the safety and lives of the residents," adding, "Until now, the system has been passive, but I hope this incident serves as an opportunity to review this."

In particular, he stressed, "Issues like senior citizen jobs and local currency have had shortcomings in various government policies toward the people, but I think it is necessary for Gyeonggi Province alone to break away from a passive attitude and clearly show what it will do."

He also added, "In the new year, there will be many changes in various situations and circumstances. The inclusion of climate change, social economy, animal welfare, and future growth in this organizational restructuring is Gyeonggi Province’s effort to quickly respond to new changes," and said, "Regarding inter-Korean issues, it would be good to keep a close watch as they unfold in this way, take an active stance toward change, and have the mindset to use this as an opportunity."

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