[Interview] Owen Seok Oh, Dobong District Mayor, "I Will Always Be with Residents on the Ground"

Deepening and advancing the ‘Dialogue with Residents’ initiated from the first month of inauguration, listening to welfare demands at senior centers and youth facilities... Actively collecting opinions from residents such as office workers who usually find it difficult to voice their concerns through ‘On-site Complaint Consultation Visits’ during commuting hours starting this September... Operating a separate ‘Dobong Residents’ Idea Box’... Resolving long-standing complaints such as the opening of the ‘Pedestrian Passage Connecting Donga Cheongsol Apartment and Changdong Station’ and the ‘Cargo Vehicle Entrance/Exit Road next to Chang 4-dong Daycare Center’ within one year of inauguration

"I believe that good policies must be directly felt by residents, and that good policies emerge through communication with residents on-site. I will continue to be a district mayor who communicates on the ground without losing my initial resolve."

Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong District, said this while explaining that since last year, he has been listening to the voices of residents by visiting 157 senior centers and welfare and youth facilities.

From May 19, starting at Changdong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, until July 21, a total of 170 complaints, both large and small, were collected from 157 senior centers and welfare and youth facilities. Any resident using these facilities, including the elderly in the area, freely made requests and suggestions to the district mayor. Mayor Oh said, "It was a precious time to listen and communicate with each individual," and added, "The valuable opinions gathered through these visits will be forwarded to the relevant departments to ensure that the residents’ wishes are fulfilled."

The collected suggestions ranged from simple daily complaints to long-term issues requiring mid- to long-term review, such as the reconstruction of aging senior centers. Mayor Oh instructed immediate action on simple matters to the relevant departments and requested that projects requiring budget allocation and coordination with related organizations undergo thorough deliberation to fully reflect residents’ opinions.

Previously, Mayor Oh served as the ‘Daily Dongjang (Neighborhood Chief)’ of 14 resident centers every Thursday through the program ‘Clean Dobong, Into the Field,’ handling morning cleaning and on-site complaints. Cleaning routes were set focusing on back alleys and habitual illegal dumping areas in each neighborhood, and cleaning was conducted together with district office staff and residents. To hear residents’ candid voices about district administration, Mayor Oh sat on a mat at the site to listen to their ‘inner stories’ as they passed by.

Starting this September, ‘On-site Complaint Consultation Visits’ will be held at subway stations during commuting hours to meet residents, listen to their inconveniences, and resolve issues. This communication initiative by the district mayor aims to increase participation from office workers, students, and youth who usually find it difficult to voice their opinions in district administration by holding sessions at subway stations during morning and evening hours, thereby broadening resident participation. For residents who may feel burdened by direct communication, a separate ‘Dobong Residents’ Idea Box’ will be operated to allow residents to freely express their opinions about district administration. Mayor Oh said, "Although we listen to opinions through various communication channels, I believe that face-to-face communication is the way to truly connect. While I mainly want to hear about residents’ inconveniences and suggestions, I also want to share everyday concerns and stories like those of a son, son-in-law, father, or friend."

Since the beginning of his term, Mayor Oh has personally visited sites to resolve residents’ long-standing issues and complaints under the principle of ‘Wumun Hyundap (Our problems have answers on-site).’ This administrative philosophy has been a major foundation for fulfilling Dobong District’s long-standing wishes, such as the ‘Opening of the Pedestrian Passage Connecting Donga Cheongsol Apartment and Changdong Station.’

The pedestrian passage from Donga Cheongsol Apartment to Changdong Station was blocked by a parking lot and fence, forcing residents to take a long detour. Mayor Oh actively negotiated with the Seoul Metropolitan Government regarding this city-owned land and opened the pedestrian passage in November last year, resolving a decades-old resident request. The long-standing safety complaint about cargo vehicle entrance/exit next to Chang 4-dong Daycare Center was also resolved. Mayor Oh held multiple consultations with Coupang and the Seoul Northern Road Office, closing the existing cargo vehicle entrance and expanding the exit on the side that does not interfere with children’s passage. Additionally, the aging fence was repaired, and in cooperation with Dobong Police Station, a new traffic light was installed at the three-way pedestrian crossing in front of the daycare center. Mayor Oh Eon-seok said, "As an administrative expert who communicates with residents, I will continue to traverse Dobong District to bring about changes that residents can truly feel."