Former Seoul City Press Officer Lee Young-gi of Gwanak-gu and Kang Ok-hyun of Yangcheon-gu Receive Praise for Improved Public Relations After Appointment as Deputy Mayors...Focus on Deputy Mayors' Interest, Passion, and PR System Development in Seoul Districts' Public Relations
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] It is a publicity war.
Not only the private sector but also the public sector is the same. The private sector must sell products and services well to generate profits, and the public sector must receive good evaluations from residents who receive administrative services.
As South Korea surpasses 30 years of local autonomy implementation, publicity has become essential in administration. This applies not only to Seoul City and district offices but also to the Seoul Metropolitan Council and district councils. The 25 autonomous districts of Seoul are basic local governments providing similar administrative services, making the publicity war intense.
Amid this, since the 8th local election term, Gwanak-gu and Yangcheon-gu have drawn attention by prominently demonstrating their publicity capabilities.
In particular, during the 8th local election term, these two autonomous districts attracted more attention as they welcomed deputy district heads who previously served as Seoul City’s press officers.
Gwanak-gu appointed Lee Young-gi (52), a former head of the Gwanghwamun Promotion Team who passed the first local government exam and served as Seoul City’s press officer and planning officer, as deputy district head. Deputy District Head Lee, especially after his promotion to grade 3, served as Seoul City’s Policy Planning Officer and also held the position of Deputy District Head of Yeongdeungpo-gu, combining both capability and character.
Upon his appointment to Gwanak-gu on August 8 this year, Deputy District Head Lee emphasized strengthening publicity capabilities the most. He stated, “No matter how good the administration is, it is useless if publicity is not properly done,” and regularized publicity strategy meetings involving all department heads to ensure that all executives take an interest in publicity and establish a system.
In particular, he instructed that not only articles about Gwanak-gu but also good articles from Seoul City and other autonomous districts be attached in scrapbooks.
Also, with Deputy District Head Lee’s interest in publicity, combined with the enthusiasm of Public Relations Division Manager Lee Sook-hee, Media Team Leader Chae Jin-su, Section Chief Kim Yong-gap, and Assistants Park Sun-hee and Kim Sung-eun, they are evaluated as producing excellent press releases daily.
Yangcheon-gu appointed Kang Ok-hyun (52), a former head of Seoul City’s Judicial Police and press officer, as deputy district head for the 8th local election term.
Kang, who entered Seoul City through a special recruitment for grade 7 at Seoul City University and was promoted to grade 3, shows enthusiasm by personally lecturing on press release writing techniques to strengthen the publicity capabilities of Yangcheon-gu employees.
Because of this passion, Public Relations Division Manager Choi Young-joo, Media Team Leader Yoo Dong-sik (scheduled for promotion as of January 1, 2023), and assistants Kim Jeong-eun, Han Seok, and Eom Ji are diligently supporting him.
In this way, some autonomous districts that have both the deputy district head’s passion for publicity and a well-established system are also receiving good evaluations in the field of publicity.
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