Yun Byeong-tae, Mayor of Naju City, appeared as a surprise lecturer for public officials' integrity education and shared his views on integrity with the staff.
Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Yun Byeong-tae) announced on the 1st that it conducted education on "Eradicating Gapjil," a topic related to integrity, with about 500 public officials attending at the Culture and Arts Center.
Mayor Yun surprised the attending staff by appearing as an instructor without prior notice that day.
Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae appeared as a surprise lecturer for public officials' integrity education and shared his views on integrity with the staff. [Photo by Naju City]
He volunteered as an instructor to improve internal integrity, which had been particularly poor in last year's lowest-ranked integrity evaluation.
Mayor Yun defined Gapjil as "an unfair demand made by a person in a superior position who abuses authority or exerts de facto influence derived from their status on others."
He emphasized types of Gapjil that must be prohibited, such as dehumanizing treatment, demands for personal gain, and work-related disadvantages.
In particular, he encouraged participation in eradicating Gapjil by sequentially presenting the establishment and strengthening of disciplinary actions against Gapjil, disciplinary status, and major cases of Gapjil that frequently occur within the public service.
He also helped employees understand by providing specific examples in cases where the boundary of Gapjil is ambiguous.
Mayor Yun stated, "Encouragement and reprimands related to work, repetitive instructions, and low personnel evaluation scores do not constitute Gapjil," and added, "Harassment unrelated to work is recognized as bullying."
As a respected Cheongbaek-ri (a model of integrity) in history, he cited 'Saam Park Sun' (1523?1589), a renowned prime minister of the early Joseon period from Naju. He also introduced Woljeong Seowon, which was established in 1659 by people admiring Park Sun's scholarship and virtue.
Mayor Yun said, "Mutual trust and consideration among members of the organization are the most important factors for improving integrity, which is a measure of normalizing Naju City administration," and added, "I hope all employees actively participate in improving organizational culture with a desperate mindset that this is the last chance to improve the painfully low internal integrity."
Meanwhile, the city is promoting various policies to eradicate Gapjil, including self-diagnosis of Gapjil, Gapjil quizzes to build consensus, sharing Gapjil cases, and operating Mutual Respect Day on the 11th of every month.
Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr
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