Why Did Passport Issuance Increase by 30% After Establishing the Passport Department in Songpa-gu?

Songpa-gu Separates and Establishes Passport Division from Passport Team in October Last Year to Promote Service Differentiation
112,000 Issuances in One Year, 30% Increase... Ranked 1st in Seoul, 3rd Among Nationwide Local Governments
‘Visiting Passport Issuance Service’ Used by 86-Year-Old Senior and Others... Achieving Both Resident Satisfaction and Work Innovation

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on the 13th that after establishing a dedicated passport department, it has achieved the highest number of passport issuances among Seoul’s autonomous districts over the past year and has increased resident satisfaction by providing differentiated services.

Last October, the district separated the ‘Passport Team’ from the existing Civil Affairs Passport Division and newly established the ‘Passport Division.’ It was subdivided into the Passport Reception Team and Passport Issuance Team, and the staff was expanded from 10 to 20. This was to proactively respond to the surge in passport issuance requests following the lifting of social distancing measures and to provide faster and more accurate administrative services.

Currently, Songpa-gu is the only basic local government nationwide with a dedicated passport department.

In the year following the formation of the dedicated department, the district issued a total of 111,768 passports. This is the highest among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul and ranks third nationwide among 226 basic local governments, following Suwon City and Seongnam City. Compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, this is an increase of 33,072 cases or 30%, moving up two ranks from third place in Seoul.

The district has also worked to expand services beyond simple passport issuance.

Since May, it has launched Seoul’s first ‘Visiting Passport Delivery Service,’ providing it to 23 people over six months. This service involves staff visiting the homes of residents who have difficulty moving, specifically seniors aged 75 and older and those with severe disabilities (corresponding to disability grades 1 to 3), to deliver passports directly.

The majority of service users were elderly. Of the 23 users, 22 were seniors and one was a person with a disability. The oldest user was 86 years old (born in 1937), and this was their sixth passport issuance.

He said, “I have received passports many times over the decades, but this is the first time I have experienced such a service. As I have gotten older, it was difficult to visit the district office multiple times to get a passport, so having it delivered to my home is not only convenient but also makes me feel grateful.”

The district is also promoting work innovation to keep pace with the changing administrative environment. Due to the increase in passport issuance cases, the necessary expenses for Ministry of Foreign Affairs agency tasks have risen significantly. In June, the district formally requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to increase the issuance fee rate from 22% to 30% and to raise the national treasury subsidy according to the number of issuances. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently conducting a research project on this matter.

Additionally, the district provides user-centered services such as ▲online ticket issuance for passport reception ▲online advance reservation system for passport reception ▲priority service counters for pregnant women and people with disabilities.

District Mayor Seo Gang-seok stated, “The differentiated services of Songpa-gu’s Passport Division are the result of putting residents first,” and added, “We will continue to develop various services that make residents’ daily lives more convenient and practice servant leadership administration.”

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