Gwanak-gu Receives Presidential Citation for Family-Friendly Excellent Companies and Institutions in 2021...The Secret?

The Only Award Recipient Among Local Governments for Organizational Culture Innovation for Work-Life Balance and Family-Friendly Program Operation, and the First Award Winner Among Seoul's Autonomous Districts

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) achieved the great honor of receiving the Presidential Citation for Family-Friendly Excellent Institution at the 2021 Family-Friendly Certification and Information Awards Ceremony held on the 16th at the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Family-Friendly Certification System, organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, is a system that conducts evaluations and grants certification to institutions and companies that exemplary operate family-friendly systems to support work-family balance, such as flexible working hours, childbirth and child-rearing support, and fostering a family-friendly workplace culture.

At this year’s awards ceremony, a total of 19 outstanding institutions (companies) received the Presidential Award, Prime Minister’s Award, and Minister of Gender Equality and Family Award. Among them, Gwanak-gu was the only local government to receive the Presidential Citation, also earning the distinction of being the first autonomous district in Seoul to receive this honor.

Since being selected as a family-friendly certified institution in 2016, the district has been striving to create a family-friendly social environment with the goal of “building a city happy together,” through supporting childbirth and child-rearing, innovating organizational culture for work-life balance, and operating various family-friendly programs.

Meanwhile, the district was selected as a “Women-Friendly City” by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and a “Child-Friendly City” by UNICEF in 2020, and this December, it will further prove itself as a city happy together by renewing its certification as an excellent family-friendly institution.

A district official stated, “We will continue to strive to foster a family-friendly culture that supports work-family balance and do our best to create a good working environment so that the family-friendly culture can spread throughout society.”