Nowon-gu Hosts Trend Korea 2024 Employee Special Lecture

Creating Opportunities for Employees to Learn New Year's Trends from Experts and Collaborate
Breaking the Image of Inactive Public Officials, Enhancing the Agility of Public Servants
Practical Training Focused on Generating Ideas Applicable to the Field Rather Than Formal Workplace Education

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will hold a special lecture on “Trend Korea 2024” for its employees to incorporate rapidly changing social trends into district administration.

'Trend Korea' is a series in which Professor Kim Nan-do of Seoul National University’s Department of Consumer Studies and other contributors analyze issues in various fields such as the economy, society, and culture in South Korea each year and forecast the trends for the following year.

The series draws attention from companies, researchers, and various sectors by presenting new words and social phenomena such as ‘So-hwak-haeng’ (small but certain happiness), ‘Work-life balance,’ and ‘Newtro’ ahead of others. According to district officials, frontline public servants’ ‘trend sensitivity’ is crucial to applying these trends to local administration.

The lecture for 300 employees on the 16th will be delivered by Dr. Choi Ji-hye, co-author of 'Trend Korea 2024' and a research fellow at Seoul National University’s Trend Center.

In the lecture, Dr. Choi will introduce social phenomena driving changes in South Korea centered on the 10 major consumer trend keywords for 2024, called 'DRAGON EYES,' including ▲the split-second society ▲husbands who are like absent dads ▲spin-off projects ▲Homo Prompt (AI utilization ability) ▲liquid politan ▲care economy.

She will also share know-how to help employees actively develop their own ability to analyze trends.

The district has avoided formal workplace training and has been conducting various employee education programs that proactively embrace future social changes. Starting with the Trend Korea 2023 lecture last year, it has provided training on ‘ChatGPT’ utilization, and practical administrative education such as ‘core technologies in the bio industry’ and ‘urban spaces close to daily life.’ It also invited experts on ‘garden cities’ to share the direction of major future district projects and foster in-depth understanding among senior officials and staff.

The district’s efforts to encourage new changes are being recognized as effective in administrative practice. Last year, pioneering projects nationwide such as the ‘KakaoTalk delinquency notification service’ and the ‘mobile disaster safety situation room’ were launched, exemplifying the integration of new technologies and social changes into district administration. Unique projects like the ‘urban-type recreational forest’ being developed on Suraksan Mountain, also a first nationwide, are expected to continue.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Our district’s public servants are not only individuals living in this era but also the frontline of administration that will change the lives of fellow citizens. We will continue to strive to be a district office that researches and equips flexible administrative capabilities to respond sensitively to social changes and lead regional development.”