Ahn Jong-sook, Seocho District Council Member, "Happy to Receive Award Recognizing 'Seocho District Council GO(鼓)' Legislative Activities"

Expressing Gratitude for Winning the 5th Korea Local Autonomy Policy Award in the Legislative Category, Recognizing the Excellence of the Field-Centered 'Seocho-gu Council GO(鼓)' Project Launched Since the 8th Term

An Jong-suk, Seocho District Council Member (Former Chairperson)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho District Council received the Local Autonomy Policy Award in the district council category at the “5th Korea Local Autonomy Policy Awards” ceremony held on the 27th of last month.

The Policy Awards ceremony, now in its fifth year, aims to discover and share excellent and innovative policies from metropolitan and local governments nationwide.

Notably, this year saw the establishment of a new category for legislative activities, sparking healthy competition among many councils across the country. Seocho District Council was proudly selected as an awardee in recognition of its “Seocho District Council GO (鼓)” legislative activities carried out since the launch of the 8th council. While individual council members have received numerous awards in the past, it is particularly meaningful that the council as a whole has been honored under the title “Seocho District Council.”

Since the award, public interest in “Seocho District Council GO (鼓)” (hereinafter referred to as Uihwego) has been intense. It is reported that other local governments have been making inquiries for benchmarking purposes.

The project’s name itself is intriguing. Like the Shinmungo (申聞鼓) of the Joseon Dynasty, which was established to directly resolve the grievances of the people, it carries a dual meaning: listening to and resolving residents’ voices, and the council moving closer to the residents (GO).

True to its name, Seocho District Council is evaluated as having transformed into a “field-centered” council that breathes life into the daily lives of its residents through Uihwego.

Over the past two years, Uihwego has become a flagship project representing Seocho District Council and was one of the key initiatives promoted by Chairperson An Jong-sook during the first half of the 8th council. It is widely agreed that Chairperson An’s efforts were indispensable from the project’s initial blueprint to its fruition.

Councilor An Jong-sook expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am pleased to be recognized for striving to fulfill our fundamental role as a legislative body while also being a source of comfort and strength to the residents. I believe this achievement is thanks to the colleagues who shared the vision and contributed their efforts.”

As a three-term councilor, An had encountered many civil complaints and heard numerous voices from residents seeking expert consultations in specialized fields. However, she noticed that many residents endured various inconveniences in their daily lives due to being busy with their livelihoods, not knowing where to go, or concerns about costs.

Shortly after taking office, she contemplated ways to lower these barriers and came up with the idea of operating on-site consultation offices. The plan was to visit the field with experts from various fields and resolve residents’ inconveniences through one-on-one consultations.

Additionally, to create a Seocho where no one is left behind, councilors themselves carried out volunteer activities.

To this end, Seocho District Council formed a task force team. Starting with the inauguration of the council’s civil complaint advisory group on February 25, 2018, they embarked on a vigorous campaign to address residents’ livelihoods.

In 2019, they held two rounds of on-site consultation offices by district, providing over 120 free one-on-one customized consultations for residents’ inconveniences. The advisory group, composed of experts such as lawyers, tax accountants, and architects, received high praise from residents. The demand was so high that some applicants had to be turned away without consultations.

Moreover, using funds saved from the chairperson’s office expenses, six volunteer activities were conducted. Councilors personally wore aprons, made pancakes and bread, and delivered them to neighbors. This conveyed a message of hope, ensuring that no one in Seocho felt left out, which resonated quietly with the community.

In the past, even well-intentioned projects often failed to continue when leadership changed.

Regarding this, Councilor An emphasized that the council’s efforts to serve neighbors and approach them more deeply as local workers must continue. As she said, this award is expected to give momentum to Uihwego as a key project of the 8th Seocho District Council. Although on-site consultation offices were temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, volunteer activities have continued.

Last September, in celebration of Chuseok, gift sets composed of daily necessities were prepared and delivered to local comprehensive social welfare centers, and Christmas volunteer activities were also carried out.

Furthermore, there are plans to resume on-site consultation offices by district as soon as the situation improves.

After completing her term as chairperson at the end of July, Councilor An Jong-sook is accelerating her legislative activities in the latter half of the council, leveraging her rich experience as chairperson. When asked about her future aspirations, she said, “I hope the footsteps of the past two years have become a small milestone for someone. As a neighborly councilor, I will take the lead in creating a warmer daily life for residents, being closer and more approachable.”

She added, “Until the day we regain our precious ‘daily life’ lost to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, I will overcome the current difficulties together with the residents.”