Hwaseong City Citizen Ombudsman Resolves Over 150 Complaints Last Year

Attention Drawn to Improvements at Seodongtan Station Facilities and Related Measures

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 4th that the 'Citizen Ombudsman' operated by the city resolved over 150 citizen grievances through consultations last year.

The Hwaseong Citizen Ombudsman handles citizen complaints caused by unreasonable administration such as illegal, unfair, or passive dispositions by mediating and coordinating opinions with relevant departments from a neutral third-party position between citizens and administrative agencies. It is also responsible for enhancing citizens' rights and interests through policy proposals.

The city cited the 'Seodongtan Station facility improvement' as a representative case of complaint handling by the Citizen Ombudsman last year.

Due to stalled negotiations between Hwaseong City and Korea Railroad Corporation regarding the handover of facilities, the activation of Seodongtan Station facilities was not achieved. To resolve the complaint, various solutions were sought, including on-site inspections, meetings with relevant departments, sharing the issue with the Hwaseong City Council, and urging Korea Railroad Corporation to negotiate, which laid the groundwork for improving and revitalizing the Seodongtan Station environment.

Accordingly, the city and the corporation agreed to carry out repair works respectively, and the corporation finally agreed to maintain the facilities of Seodongtan Station.

The Citizen Ombudsman also handled a grievance from a village council regarding the rejection of a land category change application for a village hall located in △△myeon. The city had rejected the land category change due to failure to report farmland conversion, a prerequisite procedure for changing farmland designation. However, the Citizen Ombudsman judged that the farmland conversion work might have been processed at the eup/myeon office before being transferred to the city hall in the past. After confirming a farmland conversion report document that had been accepted, the Ombudsman recommended the responsible department to correct the decision and approve the land category change.

Oh Hyun-moon, Head of Communication Innovation at Hwaseong City, said, "Hwaseong City Citizen Ombudsman works closely with citizens and plays a part in achieving the happiness of one million Hwaseong citizens," adding, "In the new year, it will be reborn as an advanced-type Citizen Ombudsman who visits the field."

The Hwaseong City Citizen Ombudsman is composed of five members, including former public officials and city councilors, with a two-year term ending in June 2025.

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