Most National Complaints Last Year Were About "Jobs and Real Estate"... Flood of Demands from 2030 Generation

Health in Their 40s, Taxes in Their 50s

Kwonikwi Announces Trends from 14.65 Million Civil Complaints Big Data in 2021

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] It has been revealed that last year, citizens flooded the government with complaints demanding solutions to economic issues such as jobs, real estate, and taxes. In particular, people in their 20s and 30s urged the government to resolve job and real estate problems, according to the survey.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced on the 14th the '2021 Civil Complaint Trends' report analyzing big data of complaints collected last year. A total of 14,650,026 complaints were analyzed. By age group, the number of complaints was highest among those in their 30s (37.8%), followed by those in their 40s (30.3%) and 50s (16.0%).

Notably, most of the key keywords in the complaints were filled with economic-related content. Among people in their 20s, many keywords related to 'jobs' such as company, commuting, and salary appeared, while those aged 30 and above commonly had many keywords related to 'real estate' such as apartment, housing, pre-sale, and jeonse (long-term lease). For those aged 40 and above, keywords related to 'health,' 'children's learning,' and 'taxes' were included. Additionally, there were a considerable number of words related to 'COVID-19' such as appeals against national support funds, masks, and quarantine, as well as words related to 'transportation environment improvement' such as transportation infrastructure and the establishment of metropolitan transportation measures.

By region, complaints were most frequent in Gyeonggi (43.6%), Seoul (15.9%), Incheon (7.9%), Busan (4.4%), and Daegu (4.3%). Considering population size, complaints were relatively high in Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Daejeon. By sector, compared to the previous year, the transportation sector saw the largest increase (108.0%), including requests for confirmation of stations and routes for the Western Metropolitan Express Railway (GTX-D).

By institution type, complaints increased in central administrative agencies (92.1%) and local governments (6.2%), while decreasing in education offices (3.9%) and public institutions (21.1%). Among central administrative agencies, the Cultural Heritage Administration saw a tenfold increase to 29,989 cases compared to the previous year. Complaints related to the construction of combined heat and power plants and waste treatment facilities near World Cultural Heritage sites were major public concerns. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also saw more than double increases. Among local governments, Daegu Metropolitan City recorded the largest increase (3.2 times) with 78,365 cases, including many complaints opposing the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) combined cycle power plants. Among education offices, Daegu Office of Education had the largest increase (2.7 times) with 6,418 cases, with many requests for school district adjustments.

Meanwhile, the ACRC identifies key policy improvement points through complaint analysis and reflects them in policies. Last year, it analyzed complaints related to carbon neutrality such as electric and hydrogen vehicles and solar power generation, and collaborated with relevant ministries to promote system improvements, the ACRC reported. Issues such as ride-purchase points, delivery services, braille blocks, and secondhand transactions were also requested for voluntary improvement by related agencies.

From November 2020 to October last year, the ACRC discovered 95 cases causing public inconvenience through the 'Voice of the People' platform and requested improvements from relevant agencies. Among 69 cases that resolved public inconvenience, four outstanding cases were selected. Various complaint analysis data, including the 2021 trends of 'Voice of the People,' are available for anyone to access on the 'Civil Complaint Big Data at a Glance' website.