Seongheon Lee, Seodaemun-gu Mayor's Skinship Moves Gain Attention...Direct Communication with Residents and Birthday Calls to Staff

[Seoul District News] Lee Seongheon, Seodaemun-gu Mayor, Communicates Directly with Complainants via Phone on Daily Major Complaints & Receives Employee Suggestions at Work Report Meeting, Also Celebrates Employees' Birthdays ...[Photo] Lee Gijae, Yangcheon-gu Mayor, Appointed Honorary Reporter for Senior Newsletter ... Lee Suhee, Gangdong-gu Mayor, Attends '2022 Climate & Energy Special Lecture' ... Park Gangsu, Mapo-gu Mayor, Holds Discussion with Veterans Organization Members

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Lee Seong-heon, the mayor of Seodaemun-gu, has been raising expectations for 'resident-experienced administration' with his humble and informal approach since the early days of his term.

The mayor manages various online and offline civil complaints received daily through Seoul City's Response Center, the National Petition System, "Requests to the Mayor," the district's SNS accounts, the Jikso Civil Complaint Office, visits and calls to each department, faxes, and written documents.

He reviews the detailed content, issues, resolution plans, and implementation strategies of each complaint, and especially communicates directly with complainants by phone regarding the main complaints of the day.

Recently, his practice of 'celebrating and encouraging employees on their birthdays' has also attracted attention. The mayor personally calls some employees who have birthdays each month to congratulate and encourage them.

The head of the Traffic Management Department said, "I had no prior hint, but on my birthday morning, the mayor called me to congratulate and give kind words, which gave me strength," adding, "It was not an administrative call; the mayor called my phone directly from his own mobile, which surprised me a bit."

An official from the Social Economy Department said, "It was my first time speaking directly with the mayor by phone. He congratulated me on my birthday and talked about my duties and plans for the day, which seemed to increase our closeness."

Furthermore, starting in August, the mayor plans to visit one department with birthday celebrants each month to deliver cakes and send congratulatory text messages to employees celebrating their birthdays.

The mayor said, "I prepared this after hearing an employee's opinion at a recent departmental work report meeting. Although a small gesture, I hope it becomes an opportunity to communicate more with the staff."

Seodaemun-gu previously held 'departmental work report meetings' in a conversational format focused on communication with the mayor without preparing separate written materials, earning applause from employees.

Also, the mayor's neighborhood tours from the 20th to the 29th of this month mainly consist of 'on-site visits to residents' long-standing projects' with relevant department heads and experts, which has been evaluated as refreshing.

A Seodaemun-gu official said, "Since the mayor stated in his inaugural speech that he would implement the most practical administration for people's livelihood and communicate with staff focusing on content and efficiency rather than formality and procedures, it seems this administrative policy will continue."

Lee Gi-jae, mayor of Yangcheon-gu, attended the 2nd Senior Newsletter Honorary Reporter Appointment Ceremony held at 3 p.m. on the 27th and presented appointment certificates.

The 11 newly appointed 2nd-term senior honorary reporters will continue various reporting activities for two years through Yangcheon-gu's senior newsletter 'Senior Plus.'

Senior Plus is a newsletter dedicated to seniors that delivers various lifestyle information such as economy, hobbies, and health, as well as district news to support seniors' healthy and vibrant later life, featuring vivid on-site reports directly covered by honorary reporters.

Mayor Lee Gi-jae said at the ceremony, "I hope you vividly convey neighbors' life stories and good deeds and take a keen interest in Yangcheon-gu's administration while playing various roles."

Kangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) announced that on the 25th at 3 p.m., it held the '2022 Climate and Energy Special Lecture' at the 5th-floor auditorium of the Kangdong-gu Office main building as an active response to the climate crisis.

The special lecture was delivered by Kim So-young, CEO of Seongdaegol Energy Cooperative, under the theme 'The Role and Direction of Local Communities to Achieve the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Goal.'

In particular, it explored what we must do for carbon neutrality in the era of the climate crisis.

Carbon neutrality means balancing greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as fossil fuel use with global carbon dioxide absorption so that atmospheric CO2 concentration does not increase. It aims to reduce CO2 emissions to 'zero,' also called 'NetZero' or 'Carbon Zero.'

Through the climate and energy special lecture, the district aims to spread consensus on energy transition, improve residents' understanding of energy production, conservation, and efficiency policies, and establish a local foundation for responding to the climate crisis and achieving a carbon-neutral society.

A district official said, "We hope this climate and energy special lecture serves as an opportunity to recognize the necessity of a major energy transition and consider practical measures for carbon neutrality."

Park Kang-soo, mayor of Mapo-gu, visited the Mapo Veterans Hall on the 25th to have a conversation with members of veterans' organizations and listen to their suggestions.