44 Dong Chiefs of Goyang City: "Strengthening Dong-Centered On-Site Response, We Are the Main Actors"

Strengthening Citizen-First Communication Administration:
‘2025 Dongjang Communication Meeting’ Held
Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor: “The Role of Dongjangs Who Directly Hear Citizens’ Voices at the Closest Point of Civil Complaints Is Important”

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) announced on the 31st that it held the ‘2025 Dongjang Communication Meeting’ on the 28th at the 20th floor of Baekseok Annex to strengthen on-site response in the dongs.

Goyang Special City held the '2025 Dongjang Communication Meeting' on the 20th floor of Baekseok Annex on the 28th to strengthen on-site response in the district. Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City. Photo by Goyang Special City

Mayor Lee Dong-hwan, the Communication and Cooperation Officer, three district heads, heads of autonomous administration departments, and about 50 people including 44 dongjangs gathered to brainstorm ways to strengthen on-site response centered on the dongs by directly listening to citizens’ voices on site.

Before the main meeting, a video was shown introducing the achievements of the dongjangs who have been working hard in each dong and encouraging their efforts. Then, the Communication and Cooperation Officer’s on-site response team presented the ‘2025 On-site Response Work Plan.’

The plan mainly includes four themes: ▲strengthening the role of the dong ▲strengthening the role of the on-site response team ▲improving the functions of the ‘Hyunjang Minwon 25’ system ▲enhancing and encouraging the capabilities of the personnel. This meeting focused primarily on strengthening the role of the dong.

First, a KakaoTalk open chat room was created to share the on-site activities of the dongjangs and to be used as a communication channel between the mayor and the dongjangs.

The chat room includes 44 dongjangs, the mayor, the vice mayor, and district heads. The dongjangs will share not only on-site investigations of daily civil complaints received through the ‘Hyunjang Minwon 25’ system but also key on-site response activities such as snow removal and cleaning.

Additionally, for ‘immediately resolvable complaints’ received through the ‘Hyunjang Minwon 25’ system, special attention from the dongjangs is requested to ensure prompt processing. Complaints submitted by members of the neighborhood association or residents’ autonomy committees will be used as reference materials in meetings of the relevant functional organizations to facilitate rapid feedback during the complaint handling process.

During the main meeting, lively discussions were held on various suggestions and solutions, including ▲response measures for maintenance of facilities on land owned by external related organizations ▲requests for the on-site response team to actively act as a bridge to resolve complaints ▲job analysis and appropriate personnel allocation for major complaint handling departments.

Joo Eun-joo, Communication and Cooperation Officer, said, “The dongjangs who stand by citizens at the forefront of civil complaints are the most valuable people for realizing ‘citizen-first communication administration.’ We will deeply consider the suggestions made today and reflect them in plans to strengthen on-site response.”

Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City said, “To become a Goyang Special City that is more trusted by citizens and has higher administrative satisfaction, the role of the dongjangs who directly listen to citizens’ voices at the closest point of civil complaints is important. I ask the dongjangs and district heads attending today’s meeting to devote more interest and effort for the development of Goyang Special City and the happiness of its citizens.”

The city has been operating the ‘Hyunjang Minwon 25’ system since December last year to promptly resolve and systematically manage daily civil complaints in the dongs.

The Communication and Cooperation Officer’s on-site response team plans to begin full-scale on-site response work, including on-site investigations of major complaints registered in the system, starting in April.

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