Choi Hogwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, Meets Residents Directly for Next Year's Budget Planning

Taking the Lead in 'Communication' to Conduct Administration with District Residents... Reflecting in Next Year's Policies and Budget
Listening to Opinions from Various Fields and Groups, Holding Meetings with Dong Residents, and Incorporating Them into District Administration
Lowering Administrative Barriers and Fully Implementing 'True Local Autonomy' Prioritizing Residents' Interests

At the Hope and Happiness Residents' Meeting, Choi Ho-gwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District (left)

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it is conducting the ‘Hope and Happiness Residents’ Meeting’ to directly listen to the vivid opinions of various residents and reflect them in district administration.

This meeting was prepared to listen to the voices of residents active in various fields and organizations and to incorporate them into next year’s policies and budget. Since good policies come from the process of communicating with residents, the district is determined to draw the blueprint for the 8th term of local government together with the residents.

Starting with the first meeting on the 1st, the district will meet various residents including organizations from fields such as culture, arts, welfare, and sports, as well as parents, small business owners, and volunteers until October. Participants of the meeting said it was a meaningful time to sincerely share their hopes and opinions as the owners of the district regarding the direction of district administration.

In addition, the district is also conducting ‘Communication Meetings with Dong Residents’ to listen to daily inconveniences and suggestions. Since the dong (neighborhood) is the frontline where resident happiness and local autonomy are realized, the district plans not to neglect the voices from various livelihood sites.

Under the basic principle that ‘communication is the key to everything,’ District Mayor Choi’s philosophy is that listening closely to the voices of residents from all walks of life and implementing what residents want is the ‘core of local autonomy.’ This is to complement the limitations of representative democracy, where diverse opinions of residents have not been properly reflected, and to realize genuine resident autonomy.

This ‘communication approach’ by Mayor Choi is not the first. From January to May this year, Mayor Choi visited all 170 senior centers in the area to promote ‘Warm Companionship with Seniors,’ communicating with the elderly. Mayor Choi listened carefully to each opinion of the seniors and prepared a ‘Comprehensive Plan for Senior Centers’ including support for heating costs, lunch and cleaning helpers, renovation and repair of aging facilities, and activation of leisure programs.

Going forward, the district plans to propose institutional improvements to Seoul City and the government based on the opinions exchanged with residents and to reflect them as much as possible in policies to realize true local autonomy and democracy.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “Direct communication with residents and prioritizing residents’ interests is the first and fundamental task that local governments must undertake,” adding, “To achieve a greater leap for Hope and Happiness Future City Yeongdeungpo, we will continue ‘communication administration’ that listens to residents’ voices and finds solutions.”

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