Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong: "Leading Citizen Happiness through 'Organizational Vitality'"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung emphasized ‘organizational vitality’ to lead citizen happiness through visible changes.

According to Gwangju City on the 2nd, Mayor Kang held the first regular assembly of the new year combined with the opening ceremony on the morning of the 2nd, creating a harmonious atmosphere with a warm talk session.

The event was attended by about 600 people including department heads and staff, where Mayor Kang answered questions on the spot from four employee representatives.

The employees started with witty questions such as, “If you could go back six months with all your memories like the drama The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family and start the 8th term of the elected government again?” and discussed safety issues, experiences of failed public project applications, directions for childcare policies, and shared candid conversations.

They also conveyed their New Year’s resolution to introduce new administration breaking away from the existing framework.

In response to the question, “If you could go back six months,” Mayor Kang said, “If the 4,000 public officials continue to work as they do now, there would be no need to go back six months.”

He then revealed the direction for responding to the recent heavy snow disaster and realizing a safe city anytime and anywhere.

Mayor Kang said, “Thanks to the combined efforts following the campaign ‘The city hall takes care of big roads, district offices take care of small roads, and citizens take care of their front yards,’ we overcame the situation without major accidents,” adding, “We gained confidence that ‘together we can do anything.’ In the new year, let’s work together to achieve zero traffic accidents, industrial accidents, and suicides.”

The vivid behind-the-scenes story of securing national funding for the National Gwangju Youth Treatment and Rehabilitation Center after strenuous efforts also became a hot topic.

Officer Ahn Hyung-cheol said, “When we failed to attract the youth support center for those experiencing psychological difficulties, the mayor’s encouraging phone call was a great support,” and added, “In the new year, please listen to the voices of citizens and employees and run diligently like a rabbit.”

In response, Mayor Kang said, “Among the precious budgets that serve as seeds for the future secured through this national funding process, the National Gwangju Youth Treatment and Rehabilitation Center is one of them,” emphasizing, “The failure I always stress has become a qualification. It is good to try and fail, but it is even better when those who fail do not give up for success. Please make efforts to discover such projects.”

Then, on the spot, Mayor Kang played singer Yoon Jong-shin’s song ‘Uphill Road’ on his phone and said, “The lyrics are really good. I hope you listen to it with your loved ones,” encouraging, “When you have regrets about what you have done so far, please comfort yourself by saying ‘You have done well so far, and let’s move forward well.’”

Meanwhile, Mayor Kang recently surprised the department heads who were transferred in a personnel reshuffle by inviting them onto the stage to greet employees and share their determination.

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