Jongno-gu Mayor Kim Young-jong Receives Highest Grade in Pledge Fulfillment Evaluation

Jongno-gu Achieves Highest Grade (SA) in Evaluation of Promises Fulfillment and Information Disclosure by Elected Basic Local Government Heads in 7th Term... Ranked 2nd in Autonomous District Category in 2020 National Local Government Evaluation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The administration of Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, during the 7th local government term has achieved excellent results in external institutional evaluations.

Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) earned the highest grade (SA) in the 7th local government heads' pledge fulfillment and information disclosure evaluation conducted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters. Following this, it also achieved an outstanding 2nd place in the autonomous district category in the 2020 National Local Government Evaluation conducted by the Korean Local Government Association with support from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The "7th Local Government Heads' Pledge Fulfillment and Information Disclosure Evaluation" was announced on the 26th after analyzing pledge fulfillment project data published on the websites of 226 cities, counties, and districts nationwide throughout March, and after each institution's explanation was reviewed by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters.

The evaluation criteria included five categories: ▲Pledge fulfillment completion ▲2019 goal achievement ▲Resident communication ▲Web communication ▲Pledge consistency. Autonomous districts with a comprehensive score of 65 points or higher were awarded the highest grade, SA. Jongno-gu received consistently high scores across all five categories, particularly excelling in the resident communication category.

In line with the launch of the 7th local government term, Jongno-gu formed the "Resident Policy Evaluation Group Jongno Love 87" to listen more closely to residents' voices and held pledge implementation meetings, continuously reflecting the evaluations and opinions of the resident evaluation group on a quarterly basis.

Following last year's "7th Local Government Heads' Pledge Implementation Plan Evaluation," the district earned the highest grade (SA) for two consecutive years, solidifying its reputation as a model pledge performer.

Additionally, in the "2020 National Local Government Evaluation," Jongno-gu rose three ranks from 5th place last year to 2nd place in the autonomous district category. This was due to strengthening financial capacity by lowering the debt ratio relative to the budget and revitalizing the local economy through efforts to address employment issues.

Attention was also drawn to the establishment of specialized libraries that utilize Jongno's rich historical and cultural resources. Until 2010, there were no public libraries in Jongno-gu, but since Mayor Kim Young-jong took office, the number has increased to 17, starting with Sambong Library in 2011. There are also several community-based libraries within a 10-minute walk, such as Cheongun Hyoja-dong Book Cafe and Muak Dasom Room.

Jongno-gu was also highly evaluated for its active lifelong education related to resident capacity and quality of life. Reflecting the fact that the number of lifelong education learners ranks among the top in autonomous districts, the district secured 2nd place in the education sector, one of the five administrative service areas.

In the local economy sector, Jongno-gu jumped 19 ranks from the previous year to 5th place, and it also achieved a strong 4th place in the traditionally strong culture and tourism sector.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “I am pleased that the efforts, big and small, to faithfully keep the public promise ‘pledge’ with residents and to improve administrative efficiency have borne fruit. We will not be complacent with this result and will work tirelessly to implement an administration that earns even greater trust from residents. Based on the trust and support of residents, we will do our best to complete the remaining 7th local government term’s ‘People-Centered Premium City Jongno.’”