Operation of Nowon-gu Residents' Grievance Committee

Appointment of Three External Experts in Law/Administration... Responsible for Investigating Complaints, Recommending and Expressing Opinions on Illegal/Unfair Administrative Actions and Unreasonable Laws and Systems, Mediation and Settlement, Counseling and Guidance... Total 57 Complaints Received, 47 Processed

Nowon-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) has been operating the 'Nowon-gu Residents' Grievance Committee' since July to protect the rights and interests of its residents.

A grievance complaint refers to a complaint concerning matters where the rights of residents are infringed or residents experience inconvenience or burden due to illegal, unfair, or passive administrative actions by administrative agencies, or unreasonable administrative systems.

As the roles and functions of administration have diversified compared to the past, the influence of administrative power on residents has been increasing, and accordingly, residents' awareness of their rights and demands for administration have also risen.

In response, the district enacted the Ordinance on the Establishment and Operation of the Nowon-gu Residents' Grievance Committee in May and organized the Residents' Grievance Committee in July. This was to investigate and handle complaints fairly and objectively from a third-party perspective.

The committee appointed three external members through an open recruitment process. These members possess expertise in law and administration, have a term of four years, and are not eligible for reappointment.

The roles of the Nowon-gu Residents' Grievance Committee mainly include ▲investigating grievance complaints ▲making corrective recommendations and expressing opinions on illegal or unfair administrative actions ▲making recommendations and expressing opinions on unreasonable laws, systems, and policies ▲mediation and agreement for amicable resolution ▲and providing consultation and guidance.

When a grievance complaint is received, it is processed in the order of investigation, deliberation and resolution, and response to the complaint (within 60 days). However, simple complaints are forwarded to the relevant department. So far, a total of 57 complaints have been received across various fields such as housing construction, parks and leisure, transportation, welfare, and environment, of which 47 have been resolved.

Recently, a grievance complaint was received regarding the improvement of the reservation system for the autumn concert held last month. After deliberation, the committee resolved that although efforts such as adding 37 telephone lines this year have been made, a smoother system is needed as it is a representative district event with increasing attendance every year, and expressed this opinion to the relevant department.

The district plans to focus the committee’s role not only on handling complaints but also on actively making recommendations and expressing opinions on unfair or unreasonable points discovered during the investigation process.

If face-to-face consultation on grievance complaints is needed, residents can make a prior reservation by phone and visit the Residents' Grievance Complaint Office on the 6th floor of the district office to fill out an application form. The complaint office operates from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. If visiting in person is difficult, online consultation is also available through the district office website.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “In line with the increasingly diverse and complex trends of complaints, we appointed external members with expertise and organized the Residents' Grievance Committee. Through the committee, we will review policies and systems once again from a third-party perspective rather than that of the executor to understand what residents truly want and do our best to protect their rights and interests.”

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