Gwang Gijeong, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, Draws Attention with 'Unique Communication Method'

Dialogue with Citizens on Diverse Topics Spanning Generations and Specialties

Breaking Down Walls for Candid Communication... Strengthening Internal Public Officials' Engagement

Mayor Kang: "The Start of Communication is Empathy, the Complet

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung’s ‘unique communication methods’ are drawing attention.

Mayor Kang’s new attempts based on ‘parting with the familiar’ and the ‘philosophy of the square’ have been evaluated as creating distinctly different and colorful communication channels such as ‘Monday Dialogue,’ ‘Tuesday Luncheon,’ ‘Wednesday Policy Picnic,’ and ‘Friday Strategy Meeting.’

In particular, discussions with citizens cover a wide range of topics from the 2030 youth generation to economy, welfare, education, labor, and environment, and with the introduction of the citizen participation platform ‘Gwangju On (ON),’ the scope of collecting citizen opinions and opportunities for participation in city administration is expanding.

First, the candid dialogue forum ‘Monday Dialogue’ has been held a total of 12 times so far on various topics such as youth policy, startup revitalization, overcoming low birth rates, securing competitiveness in the future car industry, and fostering e-sports.

Held every Monday, Monday Dialogue involves Mayor Kang and citizens from all walks of life, aiming for ‘sincere communication’ and is conducted according to three principles: ▲listening ▲not persuading ▲not interrupting during the conversation.

The ‘Policy Picnic,’ which marked its 10th session, focused on on-site communication.

Starting with the first Policy Picnic to strengthen support for youth preparing for independence, visits were made to ▲Gwangju’s only elementary girls’ soccer team (Hanam Jungang Elementary School) ▲the future of the cultural content industry (Gwangju Content Hub) ▲the next-generation battery, an industrial growth engine (Sebang Lithium Battery Co., Ltd. Gwangju Plant), to hear voices from the field.

To expand citizen participation, Mayor Kang newly introduced the online interactive communication platform ‘Citizen Square Gwangju On (ON),’ which added a survey function to the citizen proposal platform ‘Baro Communication Gwangju.’ It is currently in pilot operation ahead of full implementation in 2023, and recruitment of 20,000 citizen policy participants has been completed.

Internal communication among public officials is also undergoing continuous changes. Emphasizing the will to break down walls with public officials and boldly change existing practices, efforts to strengthen skinship continue.

Mayor Kang said, “Communication with public officials, who are partners in leading city administration, is the most important,” and is conducting regular assemblies, executive meetings, Tuesday luncheons, and Friday strategy meetings that break away from traditional methods.

Right after taking office, Mayor Kang held a ‘Lunchbox Talk’ with MZ generation public officials and opened a talk show titled ‘Mayor, Were You Embarrassed?’ at the first regular assembly, creating a casual communication space.

In particular, Mayor Kang handed over the microphone at the regular assembly to public officials. While previous regular assemblies mainly conveyed the mayor’s requests, the regular assemblies of the 8th elected term are led by public officials.

At the first executive workshop, visions, goals, and major tasks of each department were presented and communicated, and at the recent December regular assembly, a ‘90-second performance presentation (PT)’ by staff was attempted for the first time to share the meaning of projects.

Mayor Kang’s special commute is also a hot topic.

Every morning, Mayor Kang gets off not at the underground parking lot but in front of City Hall. This is so he can directly see citizens holding one-person protests in the City Hall square, cleaning workers, and employees.

He also starts his day by sending birthday congratulatory messages every morning to public officials celebrating their birthdays, showing his efforts for communication.

Mayor Kang emphasized, “Good policies can be made only by dressing policies in the clothes of public sentiment. The beginning of communication is empathy, and the end of communication is completing it with policies accompanied by budgets. Through communication, it is most important to grasp the big direction and flow of city administration.”