Gwanak-gu Awarded Minister of the Interior and Safety Prize in 'Local Government Productivity Evaluation'

Nationwide First and Largest Children's Restaurant 'Haengbokhan Mama Sikdang' Ranks No.1 in Best Practices

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) won the Excellence Award (Minister of the Interior and Safety Award) in the Best Practices category at the 10th 'Local Government Productivity Awards' in 2020.

The 'Productivity Awards' is an award hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety that comprehensively evaluates and diagnoses local governments' efforts and capabilities to improve residents' quality of life and public services from a productivity perspective.

Targeting 226 cities, counties, and districts nationwide, the awards are divided into two categories: 'Productivity Index Measurement' and 'Best Productivity Practices.' Marking its 10th year, this year 28 'Excellent Local Governments for Livability,' including Gwanak-gu which won the Best Practices Excellence Award, were selected.

For the Best Practices evaluation, a total of 419 cases were submitted from 173 local governments across four fields: people-centered inclusive society, environmental safety, capable citizens and communities, and win-win economy. After a two-stage process of document screening and presentation evaluation, 12 final awardees were selected.

Gwanak-gu ranked first in the 'Capable Citizens and Communities' category with the nation's first and largest children's cafeteria, 'Happy Mama Cafeteria.'

'Happy Mama Cafeteria' is the first restaurant in Korea where the village supports children's dinner tables through volunteering. It serves as a complex space where children's meals, play, experiences, and growth occur together.

Additionally, by establishing a cooperative governance system where village residents take ownership, participate, operate, and grow the program, it has already been recognized as an excellent policy in external evaluations such as the '2019 Safety Campaign Best Practice Competition Grand Prize' and the '2019 National Local Government Manifesto Competition Grand Prize.' It has received positive responses from residents by revitalizing the local community and establishing a safety net.

During the COVID-19 situation, Happy Mama Cafeteria shifted to a volunteer service delivering homemade side dishes contactlessly to 31 households (75 people) and is operating as the 'Gulcham Village Whole Village Cafeteria.'

In particular, at the second presentation evaluation, Lim Hyun-joo, director of the Gwanak-gu Volunteer Center, emphasized the administrative change of treating volunteers not as objects to be mobilized but as cooperative partners, earning high praise.

The district operates the Volunteer Center through public-private cooperation, integrating administrative mindset and volunteer values throughout district administration. As of the end of 2019, there were about 103,700 registered volunteers, with a total volunteer time of approximately 453,200 hours, which translates to an economic value of 8.832 billion KRW.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “It is an honor to receive good evaluations not only at the recent Korea Knowledge Awards, the most prestigious in the country, but also at the Local Government Productivity Awards. We will continue to actively introduce and spread productivity in public service sectors to improve residents' quality of life and urban competitiveness.”