Gwangju Seo-gu 'Baro Munja Harangkke' Establishes Itself as a Communication Channel

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) has established the direct text message hotline from the mayor, ‘Baro Munja Harangkke,’ introduced at the start of the 8th local government term, as a communication lifeline for residents within just one year of its implementation.

According to Seo-gu on the 7th, ‘Baro Munja Harangkke’ is a communication system where residents can send text messages about daily civil complaints or policy suggestions directly to the mayor’s number. The mayor personally reviews the messages, and after consultation with the relevant departments, informs the complainants of the results within 48 hours.

I will text you right away.
[Photo by Seogu]

The system has received positive feedback from residents due to its significantly simplified procedures and faster complaint processing speed compared to before.

Over the past year, more than 2,200 messages including complaints have been received through ‘Baro Munja Harangkke.’ Daily civil complaints accounted for about 1,370 cases, with hundreds of inquiries, proposals, mid- to long-term projects, system improvements, and safety-related issues also submitted.

Most notably, ‘Baro Munja Harangkke’ has resolved long-standing issues that had been neglected for years and addressed welfare blind spots and daily civil complaints through proactive administration.

It also created new opportunities for major policy initiatives such as youth entrepreneurship and the creation of barefoot walking trails.

For example, traffic inconvenience complaints regarding illegal parking and abandoned vehicles and vessels near Maewol Intersection (in front of the funeral hall on the 2nd Ring Road in Seha-dong, Seo-gu) were resolved after three years.

After receiving a complaint via ‘Baro Munja Harangkke’ in September last year, Seo-gu collaborated with Gwangju City to solve the problem.

A single text requesting help for a livelihood and housing benefit recipient struggling with alcohol addiction and dementia prompted an immediate response from the customized welfare team.

In January this year, a complaint about a clogged apartment sewer pipe was swiftly addressed on-site, earning praise as “boundaryless proactive administration.”

A young entrepreneur secured the only youth nurturing restaurant project in the Honam region, hosted by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, with support from Seo-gu’s Job Youth Support Division through ‘Baro Munja Harangkke.’

Additionally, Seo-gu residents maintain close communication with the administration through a single text message for issues such as illegal parking, road damage and trail repairs, and emergency flood response.

Last month, Seo-gu achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first local government nationwide to simultaneously win the Grand Prize and the Resident Autonomy Division Award at the ‘Korea Local Autonomy Management Awards,’ which has a 28-year history alongside local autonomy.

Along with this, benchmarking inquiries have been coming in from local governments across the country, including Incheon and Busan.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, “Among government administrative units, basic local governments are the organizations most closely connected to residents. We will deepen our presence in the field and continuously communicate with residents to realize a ‘Mayor by Your Side’ and a ‘Living Government by Your Side’ that truly help residents’ daily lives.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dongho baekok@asiae.co.kr

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