Seodaemun-gu Receives Certification as an Excellent Institution for Local Regulation Innovation from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Seoul's First and Only... Recognized for Regulatory Innovation Foundation, Process, and Achievements

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) announced on the 25th that it has become the first and only district in Seoul to receive certification last week in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Local Regulation Innovation Excellent Institution Certification System,’ which targets 226 basic local governments nationwide.

This system has been implemented by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety since 2018 to promote autonomous competition and capacity building among cities, counties, and districts nationwide for local regulation innovation, thereby enhancing public satisfaction.

In the diagnostic evaluation of 15 ‘common indicators’ such as regulation innovation foundation, processes, and performance, and 6 ‘sector-specific indicators’ including proactive administration, revision of local ordinances, and support for self-employed business owners, institutions must score 800 points or more out of 1000 points and pass the first written review and second on-site inspection by a joint public-private certification review committee to be certified as an excellent institution.

The district has operated a ‘Visiting Regulation Reporting Center’ to listen to difficulties faced by local businesses and small merchants on-site and has worked to resolve inconveniences, actively proposing improvements to relevant laws and systems to the government and related organizations.

Additionally, after visiting local governments certified for regulation innovation to benchmark excellent policies, the district actively introduced them, held regulation reform contests for residents and employees, and conducted both online and offline training for employees to strengthen capabilities in regulation innovation and proactive administration.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “We will make greater efforts to listen to the difficulties of small business owners and companies and to discover and improve regulations that cause inconvenience in residents’ daily lives.”

Among the 21 local governments nationwide selected this time as ‘Local Regulation Innovation Excellent Institutions,’ including 9 newly certified and 12 re-certified, certification plaques and special grants as financial incentives will be provided.

The certification period for excellent institutions is two years, after which reapplication and re-verification by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety are required.