Yongsan-gu, the Only Autonomous District in Seoul Selected as '2021 Anti-Corruption Excellence Autonomous District'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) won the Excellence Award in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s ‘2021 Anti-Corruption Best Practices’ contest with the project titled ‘Paradigm Shift on Integrity!! Proactive Administration Creating a Clean World.’

The 2021 Anti-Corruption Best Practices contest is promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government Audit Committee to actively discover and share outstanding anti-corruption cases autonomously implemented by the Seoul City Hall, business offices, autonomous districts, and investment-funded institutions, aiming to spread a culture of integrity.

The Audit Committee selected six outstanding institutions based on criteria such as ▲correlation with corruption ▲specificity ▲effectiveness ▲potential for ripple effects ▲creativity. Yongsan-gu was the only autonomous district to receive an award.

In January 2021, Yongsan-gu established the first dedicated Proactive Administration Team among all autonomous districts nationwide. This was based on the judgment that organizational culture reform to eradicate passive administration such as unfriendliness, habitual practices, and delays in civil complaint processing, beyond just blocking corrupt acts, would realize ‘integrity’ that citizens can tangibly experience.

The Proactive Administration Team has been working to establish a culture of proactive administration within the organization through ▲exemption reviews for proactive administration ▲selection of outstanding proactive public officials ▲education on proactive administration through case studies ▲improving public officials’ awareness using card news ▲establishment of a Proactive Administration Committee.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “I am pleased that the proactive administration policy achievements for implementing resident-experienced clean administration have been recognized,” and added, “I thank the staff who participated in proactive administration and led change despite the difficulties posed by COVID-19 response.”

Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it has achieved the great feat of being selected as a ‘Re-designated Women-Friendly City’ in the Women-Friendly City evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family targeting cities, counties, and districts nationwide.

A Women-Friendly City is one that operates policies ensuring equal participation of women and men in local policies and realizes women’s empowerment, care, and safety. It is promoted according to a mid- to long-term plan that progresses through stages: entry into the first stage Women-Friendly City, development in the second stage, leading the third stage Women-Friendly City, and finally becoming a ‘Gender Equality Partner City.’ With this re-designation, the district will enter the development phase as a second-stage Women-Friendly City from 2022 to 2026.

The evaluation was conducted strictly by comprehensively assessing achievements in strengthening the foundation for gender equality policy promotion and project performance by Women-Friendly City goals, covering comprehensive results from the past five years and project plans for the next five years.

Since its initial designation as a Women-Friendly City in 2016, the district has been implementing 36 Women-Friendly projects and was evaluated as selected through unique projects reflecting local realities.

Based on the Seongdong 4th Industrial Revolution Experience Center, which opened nationwide for the first time in 2017 along with used car appraiser training in Yongdap-dong, coding education was provided for women with career experience. Gender consulting by gender equality experts on job policy and visualization of job creation through the job target disclosure system were also conducted, reflecting diverse efforts to expand women’s economic and social participation.

Additionally, 24 Women’s Safety Alleys were established throughout Seongdong-gu to create crime-free neighborhoods, and a Women’s Safety Theme Street was designated in Sageun-dong, which has the highest rate of single-person households in the area. This contributed to a significant 18.8 percentage point decrease in the five major serious crimes in Seongdong-gu over the past five years. Support for ‘Safety Kits’ for single women households, including fingerprint-resistant door locks and entrance door mirror sheets, operation of a living lab for safe school routes, and a 24-hour CCTV smart city integrated center have also been established to create a safe environment for women.

Following last year’s Seoul city’s first free housekeeping service for pregnant families, in July this year, the Ai Sarang Complex Culture Center, a cultural experience center focused on infants and toddlers where the whole family can enjoy, learn, and experience together, was built. Through the Mom’s Community ‘Mother Center,’ voluntarily established as a cooperative by parents, programs for child care and family participation have been operated, continuously creating a women-friendly environment conducive to childbirth and child-rearing.

Last month, Seongdong-gu enacted and promulgated the Ordinance on Respect and Rights Promotion for Women with Career Experience, taking the lead to improve awareness of essential care labor emphasized in this era and raise social interest in care labor mainly undertaken by women. The district has started a new attempt to recognize this care labor as career experience and help women achieve stable social reintegration.

Based on previous achievements, the district plans to strengthen gender equality administrative capacity through expert advisory groups and provide various supports to enhance women’s community activity capabilities, including age-tailored services for the increasing single-person households with the establishment of a support center, support for women’s small groups and network activation, and support for multicultural families and North Korean defectors’ communities.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We will do our best to create ‘Seongdong, a continuously livable city created and achieved together,’ where socially vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly can live safely and comfortably, by fostering the second-stage Women-Friendly City.”

Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) has opened the Maker Space ‘Irum,’ which was supported and established using education expense subsidies.

To prepare for the changing educational environment and establish a hub center encompassing core competencies related to the 4th Industrial Revolution, the district decided in February to support 130 million KRW for the Dongdaemun-gu type Maker Space construction project after reviewing education expense subsidies. Subsequently, in cooperation with the Eastern Education Support Office, a public contest was conducted, selecting Jangpyeong Middle School as the target school, and the Maker Space ‘Irum’ was established on the second floor of the Jangpyeong Middle School Future Hall.

The Jangpyeong Middle School Maker Space ‘Irum’ consists of ▲a 3D printer workspace equipped with ventilation facilities ▲a mini-library stocked with coding and related books ▲an open space for freely sharing ideas and discussions ▲a flexible learning space suitable for class activities and group work. It is expected to be a model case of creative space innovation as it can be used extensively for educational programs integrated with other subjects, club activities, and creative activities.

‘Irum,’ serving as a hub center for core competencies education of the 4th Industrial Revolution, is operated as an open space accessible not only to Jangpyeong Middle School students but also to students, teachers, parents, and local residents from nearby schools.

The district additionally supported 10 million KRW this year in the second half for purchasing equipment such as smart TVs and 3D printers. At the opening ceremony of ‘Irum’ held on the 17th, Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Maker Space ‘Irum’ will play a significant role in fostering the creative attitude of freely imagining and challenging, which is a core competency required in future society,” and expressed his ambition, “The district will continue to support various educational projects to nurture creative talents and do its best to produce future Steve Jobs.”

Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Park Gyeom-su) held a non-face-to-face ‘Gangbuk Cooperation’ performance sharing meeting with residents on the 21st.

The performance sharing meeting was an occasion to introduce and exchange the results of 13 cooperative projects promoted last year and this year. About 80 working committee members, including cooperation committee members, working group leaders, residents, and public officials, gathered via a video conferencing system.

The working group took the lead in planning, executing, and evaluating 13 tasks. The projects included ▲village health activities caring for both body and mind ▲making our village safe ▲turning familiar trash into gifts when seen again together ▲creating a village without curbs ▲youth space exploration team, among others.

The event proceeded with presentations on project progress, sharing impressions from cooperation committee members and working members, and congratulatory performances by local cultural artists. Videos of the cooperative project activities were pre-released on the district office’s YouTube channel. In the videos, the resident cooperation team leader and public officials appeared to introduce the project process and share behind-the-scenes stories.

Lee Sun-hee, who participated in the village care project, said, “After working as a health keeper, my perspective on the neighborhood changed,” and added, “Interacting with people who silently volunteer in the community taught me the preciousness and warmth of the village.” Kim Hee-jin, the teacher leading the youth space exploration team, also said, “The students’ response to the space exploration activity was very enthusiastic,” and “We realized how desperately youths want their own space in the community.”

Participants in the performance sharing meeting discussed their feelings about cooperative activities, project improvements, and directions for next year. The event concluded with viewing pre-recorded congratulatory performances such as classical ensemble and theater.

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “Through public-private cooperation, we discovered local agendas based on continuous communication and understanding and achieved various results,” and added, “I hope to broaden communication and understanding in various fields and advance toward a more mature Gangbuk cooperation.”

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) announced on the 22nd that it has designated the densely populated shopping area in Nangok-dong (Nangok-ro 24-gil 12 and 20 other lots), which has been struggling due to COVID-19, as the second Gwanak-gu Alley-type Shopping District.

This area formed a sizable market alley centered around Woorim Market until the mid-to-late 1990s, with stores selling primary and secondary goods, but has gradually lost its former vitality since the early 2000s, causing great concern for the district and merchants.

In 2019, merchants who agreed to revitalize the commercial district organized a merchants’ association and tried to register as a traditional market under the Traditional Market Act to receive facility improvement support. However, they faced difficulties as they did not meet the legal requirement of 50% retail and wholesale stores and thus could not receive support.

However, in December last year, the district enacted an ordinance on supporting the activation of alley-type shopping districts, establishing a foundation to designate areas with more than 30 small business-operated stores within 2,000㎡ as ‘alley-type shopping districts’ and provide support equivalent to traditional markets.

The Nangok Alley-type Shopping District Merchants’ Association applied for registration of the alley-type shopping district and merchants’ association on the 2nd, and on the 20th, it was designated as the second alley-type shopping district in Gwanak-gu, following Miseong-dong Dokkaebi Market.

With this designation, about 80 stores located in the ‘Nangok Alley-type Shopping District’ can receive support from various commercial district revitalization projects just like traditional markets, and the use of Onnuri gift certificates is now possible, which is expected to increase customer inflow and sales.

The district is focusing administrative efforts to strengthen the self-sustainability of the alley commercial district, having participated and been selected in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s ‘1st Phase Living Commercial District Development Project’ contest, which supports up to 3 billion KRW until 2023 for the commercial district including Nangok Alley-type Shopping District and Woorim Market area.

Various projects to revitalize the market, such as one-day classes using vacant stores like Nangok Eoullim and community store projects operating seasonal stores, have received great responses from merchants and residents.

Go Kyung-yeon, president of the merchants’ association, expressed, “We thank Gwanak-gu for their efforts in registering the Nangok Alley-type Shopping District, and we will work harder to revitalize the market and create a market that local residents want to visit.”

A district official said, “Based on experience in commercial district analysis and management consulting, we will do our best to strengthen the self-sustainability and competitiveness of all small business owners in the area, including relatively neglected unregistered markets and backstreet alley commercial districts.”

Guro-gu (District Mayor Lee Sung) will hold an Onnuri Gift Certificate payback event from the 27th of this month to revitalize the traditional market economy, which has been depressed due to COVID-19.

The event will be held at five traditional markets: Guro Market, Namguro Market, Gocheok Neighborhood Market, Garibong Market, and Oryu Market. Customers who purchase more than 50,000 KRW will receive an Onnuri Gift Certificate worth 10,000 KRW on a first-come, first-served basis.

Customers who purchase goods at the participating traditional markets during the event can submit their credit card sales slip or cash receipt for purchases over 50,000 KRW to the respective market merchants’ association between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to receive a 10,000 KRW Onnuri Gift Certificate.

The gift certificate is provided once per person during the event period and may end early if the budget is exhausted.

A Guro-gu official said, “We hope this traditional market payback event will provide some help to traditional market merchants and residents using the markets who are struggling due to COVID-19.”

Guro-gu has produced foldable shopping carts and market carriers as reusable shopping bags and provided them to five traditional markets. These reusable shopping bags were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to customers who purchased goods worth more than 30,000 KRW at the markets.

Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Lee Chang-woo) has promoted customized job policies for local residents, including social service job projects reflecting local government characteristics and job creation throughout this year.

Notably, it operated and promoted the nation’s first Senior Happiness Corporation, Dongjak Vocational Education Special Zone, and a mask factory at the district-run workshop for the disabled. It also conducted public job projects for vulnerable groups such as seniors, disabled persons, self-support, and career-interrupted women centered on community care.

Despite the difficulties caused by COVID-19, the district operated four job centers by generation to strengthen employment linkage. Along with this, Dongjak-gu continued activities to respond actively to residents’ social service demands and create quality jobs through operating a living wage system and improving treatment for social welfare workers.

Dongjak-gu has a growing number of single-person households such as examinees and elderly living alone, and a relatively high proportion of middle-aged (40-59 years), seniors, youth, and women compared to other regions.

Considering these local characteristics, the district established a detailed job creation implementation plan for 2021 and has been working to promote various social service job projects to improve residents’ welfare.

As a result, on the 20th, the district announced that it was selected as the ‘Best Local Government Nationwide’ in the social service job creation category of the ‘2021 Regional Welfare Project Evaluation’ hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This is an excellent achievement ranking second nationwide.

The Regional Welfare Project Evaluation is a review conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare evaluating 17 categories across local governments nationwide.

The district was highly evaluated for contributing to improving job quality by operating the Senior Happiness Corporation specializing in senior employment and promoting social service job projects reflecting local government characteristics such as customized job creation for vulnerable groups.

Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, said, “Dongjak-gu has been recognized again for its contribution to job projects for local residents by receiving the top award in the social service job creation evaluation this year,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to create quality local jobs with the belief that the best welfare for residents is job creation.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Roh Hyun-song) announced that it will fully revamp the district office website and begin full operation from the 23rd to better suit residents’ convenience.

The newly revamped website enhances accessibility and convenience so that users can obtain various district administration information and materials more easily and quickly. Especially, as the non-face-to-face era accelerates and demand for online services surges, customized services have been strengthened. This revamp is the largest since the 2003 overhaul.

The district applied the latest information and communication technologies to completely rebuild eight types of websites: ▲main website ▲Open Mayor’s Office ▲Health Center ▲Culture and Tourism ▲Integrated Reservation ▲Foreign Languages ▲Children ▲Gangseo-gu Scholarship Foundation.

To provide customized information by field, the website design was changed reflecting the latest web trends, and the menu structure was simplified to improve both visibility and convenience.

Considering various user access environments, responsive web design was introduced so that the website can be optimally viewed regardless of device or access program, including PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

Additionally, an integrated reservation page was established to eliminate the inconvenience of having to make reservations only on specific sites. Users can now view and immediately book various programs operated by the district, such as informatization education, lifelong education, and community center programs, all in one place.

Various authentication methods that can replace membership systems were introduced so that users can use various services without signing up, and a new function was added allowing users to register frequently used services as quick links.

Roh Hyun-song, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, said, “We have revamped services to keep pace with the recent digital environment so that residents can conveniently use them anytime and anywhere,” and added, “We will strive to make the district office website an open communication space where anyone can easily participate in district administration.”

Geumcheon-gu (District Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced that youths participating in the ‘Geumcheon Youth CEO Project’ donated all proceeds from selling their startup items to the Geumcheon Future Scholarship Foundation.

The donation will be used by the Geumcheon Future Scholarship Foundation to provide scholarships for nurturing local talents.

As part of the child-friendly city project, Geumcheon-gu, together with the Geumcheon Youth Center, recruited participants in April and promoted the ‘Geumcheon Youth CEO Project’ to help youths establish economic awareness and cultivate entrepreneurial spirit through startup experience.

Twenty-five youths participated, completing startup education, item production practice, and startup simulation courses. They sold 12 types of startup items such as themed kits, natural solid perfumes, custom ceramics, eco-friendly solid shampoos, and accessories at three online and offline pre-markets conducted as simulations, earning 872,900 KRW in revenue.

A participating youth said, “Through endless questions and practice about startups, I personally experienced what was once vague,” and added, “I realized that even small inconveniences and desires in daily life can be developed into items, and I was able to broaden my thinking about career paths after experiencing the support and interest available.”

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We will ensure that the precious proceeds created by youths through startup experience are used for nurturing youth talents,” and added, “We will continue to promote various projects so that youths can freely pursue their dreams.”

Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced on the 21st the opening of ‘Eunpyeong Mysterious Forest,’ which provides visual attractions and resting spaces through nighttime lighting installation at Nokbeon Seogeun Neighborhood Park.

The location is near the back gate of Eunpyeong-gu Office at Nokbeon Seogeun Neighborhood Park (Nokbeon-dong 85-4). The operation period is until February next year, and the operating hours are daily from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

‘Eunpyeong Mysterious Forest’ was created to deliver messages of comfort and hope to residents weary from COVID-19. LED landscape lighting installations symbolizing mystery and hope, such as a light tunnel, full moon and rabbit, Milky Way lighting, and unicorns, were installed. It creates a unique cultural space and displays hopeful phrases. It is expected to become a landmark in Eunpyeong-gu as a space for various cultural events and resident relaxation.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, “In a situation where cultural events have been restricted due to COVID-19, I hope this ‘Eunpyeong Mysterious Forest’ will somewhat satisfy residents’ cultural needs,” and added, “It delivers messages of comfort and hope to residents exhausted by COVID-19.”

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