'Work-Life Balance Governance Agreement' Seoul City and Geumcheon-gu, First Local Governments

Asia Economy and Seoul City Joint Project [Towards Work-Life Balance 2.0 Era]

City to Expand to All Local Governments Within 4 Years

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Jang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Seoul Metropolitan Government and Geumcheon-gu have signed the 'Work-Life Balance Governance No. 1 Agreement.' It is the first among 25 local governments, and Seoul plans to expand the governance to all local governments over the next four years.

Geumcheon-gu was selected because it has the largest number of workplaces in the southwestern area among the five major zones. There are about 12,000 workplaces located in Geumcheon-gu alone. It is also a hub of advanced industries, with around 2,300 IT companies concentrated there. However, Geumcheon-gu's G-Valley is characterized by mostly small-scale IT businesses, and it is known as a region vulnerable to work-life balance due to long working hours and high turnover rates.

Going forward, Geumcheon-gu will implement various support measures to realize work-life balance together with 11 partner organizations within the region. They will also discover additional partner organizations and identify policies needed by companies.

The institutions participating in this governance include Seoul Metropolitan Government Southwestern Working Moms Support Center, Southern Women's Development Center, Geumcheon G-Valley Sustainable Growth Council, Korea Management Innovation Small and Medium Business Association, Geumcheon-gu Healthy Family Multicultural Family Support Center, Geumcheon-gu Childcare Comprehensive Support Center, Seoul Workers' Health Center, and IT Women Entrepreneurs Association.

Song Dayoung, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Policy Office, said, "Fundamentally, workers need to be happy to focus more on their work and maintain good relationships when they return home," adding, "I hope Geumcheon-gu will do well so that other local governments can also participate." Kim Youngsung, Deputy Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "Through practicing work-life balance, we hope companies create opportunities for profit and social members find a path to happiness."