Yongsan-gu This Year's Integrity Public Official Award Recipient: Transportation Administration Division Officer Im Seong-won

[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu Selects Winners of the 12th Cheongbaek Public Servant Award ▲Grand Prize: Im Seongwon, Officer ▲Main Prize: Lee Jongsun, Officer & District Mayor Commendation, Priority Placement in Desired Departments, Overseas Training and Other Benefits... Seongbuk-gu Names Jang Gyeongju, Officer of Job Economy Division, as 2022 'Integrity Seongbuk Citizen'... Seocho-gu Banpo Stream LED Reed 'In Full Bloom' & ▲Beautiful Winter Garden Path Created with LED Fiber Optic Reed Forest ▲IoT-Based Remote River Entrance Blocking System Closes Trails When Dangerous Water Levels Detected

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Park Hee-young) announced the recipients of the 12th Cheongbaek Civil Servant Award.

Since 2011, the district has annually selected and awarded civil servants who practice integrity, innocence, dedication, and service. This year's winners are Lim Seong-won, administrative officer of the Traffic Administration Division (Grand Prize), and Lee Jong-soon, administrative officer of the Public Relations Office (Main Prize).

Lim Seong-won began his public service career in Yongsan-gu in 1992. He has been responsible for tasks such as cracking down on illegal buildings and managing car rental companies. In this evaluation, he was highly praised for fairly handling tasks involving conflicting interests and contributing to creating a trustworthy public service culture for residents.

Lee Jong-soon, who started public service in 1994, has received numerous commendations for his work in computerizing various administrative tasks and operating the internet broadcasting station. In 2005, he was selected as a filial duty civil servant and has been recognized for his exemplary life, including regularly supporting neighbors in need.

From September to October, the district received nominations for the Cheongbaek Civil Servant Award candidates from department heads, neighborhood chiefs, and residents, and conducted document screening, public verification, and fact-checking procedures.

Nominees included ▲civil servants who contributed to creating a sound public service society ▲civil servants who handled civil complaints fairly, transparently, and kindly, striving to protect residents' rights ▲civil servants verified to live frugally and diligently ▲civil servants who significantly contributed to improving the district's integrity and refrained from inappropriate conduct incompatible with their public service status.

On the 16th, the awardees were finalized through a strict review by the Cheongbaek Civil Servant Award Screening Committee, consisting of 11 external members. Awardees receive the district mayor's commendation, a plaque, and a prize (2 million KRW for the grand prize, 1 million KRW for the main prize). They also receive preferential benefits such as priority placement in desired departments and overseas training opportunities.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "When public officials work with pride, residents' satisfaction with administration increases. I hope exemplary cases, including Cheongbaek civil servants, will be widely known to spread a trustworthy public service culture."

Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) evaluated the 2022 autonomous internal control activities of all departments (dong) and employees of Seongbuk-gu and awarded the district mayor's commendation and prize money to outstanding departments and exemplary public officials.

Fourteen departments with excellent 2022 autonomous internal control activity performance and thirteen public officials with outstanding integrity activities and high autonomous internal control system compliance became the top integrity heroes of Seongbuk-gu.

The departments awarded as the best in autonomous internal control were the Health Policy Division (Director Lee Dong-hwan) and Gireum 2-dong Community Service Center (Chief Ahn Byung-kwon). The top-rated integrity individual was Jang Kyung-joo, administrative officer of the Job Economy Division.

Jang Kyung-joo, the integrity keeper of the Job Economy Division and an active member of Seongbuk-gu’s in-house club ‘Integrity Broadcasting,’ said, "I think we received a good evaluation because we tried to make the topic of integrity, which can be somewhat rigid, relatable to all employees. I will do my best with a sincere attitude worthy of the Seongbuk-gu Integrity Award."

Seongbuk-gu annually evaluates the autonomous internal control activities of public officials to encourage participation and improve and supplement deficiencies in autonomous internal control operations. This includes the operation performance of the Cheongbaek-e system, which prevents corruption in advance, integrity education and meetings, and self-diagnosis activities that check for corruption and errors beforehand.

Additionally, various efforts have been made to foster an integrity organizational culture, such as Integrity Broadcasting, selecting integrity slogans for each department (dong), operating Integrity Seongbuk Day, and providing visiting discussion-style integrity education.

In 2022, the district established the ‘Seongbuk-gu Job-Related Crime Reporting Regulation’ directive and the ‘Seongbuk-gu Conflict of Interest Prevention System Operation Guidelines’ directive. Through the ‘Relay Pledge to Comply with Conflict of Interest Prevention Obligations by Institution Heads and Senior Executives of Grade 4 or Higher,’ it actively expressed its commitment to the successful implementation of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act enacted in May.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, "Managing risks through prevention is as important as finding faults and disciplining. It is a way to secure public accountability. Starting with the district mayor, we will take the lead in strengthening the internal control system, regularly inspect and evaluate whether internal controls operate smoothly, and do our best to create a trustworthy and integrity-filled Seongbuk-gu for residents."

Banpo Stream in Seocho-gu is a representative walking spot for residents, boasting cherry blossoms in spring, lush greenery in summer, and colorful autumn leaves in fall. However, in winter, it becomes dark and somewhat desolate, leading to fewer visitors.

Starting this winter, Banpo Stream’s nights are expected to be as bright as in other seasons. LED-lit reeds will ‘bloom,’ offering residents various visual attractions.

Seocho-gu (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) created a reed forest using special LED lighting along the Banpo Stream walking trail on the 22nd.

The LED reed forest, made of optical fiber material, is inspired by iris and reeds, harmonizing with Banpo Stream’s natural landscaping. Additionally, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) was applied to ensure the safety of residents walking in the dark after sunset.

The newly created LED reed forest (photo) consists of about 1,100 luminous reeds in three types: the softly glowing ‘Iris Reed,’ the warmly glowing ‘Droplet Reed,’ and the transparently glowing ‘Optical Fiber Reed.’ The installation sites are near Banpo Stream Bridge 1 and two locations along ‘Pi Cheon-deuk-gil,’ named after essayist Pi Cheon-deuk. The lights operate from sunset to sunrise, blinking via an automatic light sensor.

The district expects that the LED reed lighting installation will beautify Banpo Stream and enhance safety for nighttime users.

Additionally, the district created the ‘Literary Walking Trail’ featuring soil concrete paved paths, loess ball paths, and foot-washing stations, allowing residents to enjoy daily leisure. It was designed as an eco-friendly trail to provide a forest-like atmosphere, moving away from the cold image of concrete textures.

This year, the district also implemented a project to make Banpo Stream safer. To prevent accidents caused by sudden rises in river water levels during heavy rain, a remote control gate system using IoT was installed in August. When the water level rises, the gates close automatically to block access to the walking trail and broadcast emergency messages. The system can be monitored via CCTV at the district’s disaster control center, and the 12 gates can be remotely opened and closed.

In the future, the district plans to review residents’ responses to the newly installed facilities and consider expanding the installation if satisfaction is high.

Jeon Seong-su, District Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “I hope Banpo Stream becomes a more pleasant and safe place for many residents to enjoy through various new projects such as the LED reed forest installation.”