Underperformance and Project Overlap... Gwangju Buk-gu Discards Multiple Policy Projects

Last Year, 51 Extensions Denied and Ended... 1-2 Years of Brief Activity

Criticism of Copying Typing District Policies Like Overdue Homework

Various policy projects managed by Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, have failed to produce results and were discarded in bulk.

According to Buk-gu on the 31st, 51 policy projects were not extended and were terminated as of December 31, 2023, due to the sunset clause. Among the 82 policy projects implemented since last year, as many as 18 lasted only for a year and a half.

Policies are discovered by each department at a rate of one to two projects annually before the main budget is drafted, then finalized after review by each bureau and a final report to the district mayor.

The problem is that various policy projects promoted to meet residents' administrative needs and enhance district development lack continuity and are mostly one-off in nature.

While some projects automatically expire upon achieving their objectives, a considerable number were discontinued due to insufficient results and overlap with existing projects.

For example, the "Installation of Dedicated Trash Bins for Takeout Disposable Cups" project became a headache as the collection rate of disposable cups was low and it caused odor complaints due to illegal dumping.

It was piloted at two locations near the back gate bus stop of Chonnam National University starting in 2022, but ultimately failed to realize its purpose of strengthening recycling and raising citizen awareness, leading to its termination.

The "Good Consumption ValueON Live Commerce Exhibition" was also scrapped after two years. A department official stated, "Analysis of corporate response and project effectiveness showed minimal results compared to the input."

The "Easy-to-Understand Legal Interpretation Online Service," launched to support public officials handling lawsuits, also ended due to a decline in users. In 2022, the site had 1,235 visitors, but last year it dropped to 214, a steep 82.6% decrease. Searches also shrank by 84%, from 6,706 to 1,039 during the same period.

Other projects such as the "Safe and Happy Buk-gu Women’s Safety Bell," "I Am the Protagonist in the Book," and "Creating Smoke-Free Happy Apartments" were also abolished for similar reasons.

There were cases where projects were halted due to legal issues. The "Small Firefighters Protecting Traditional Markets, Fire Patch Support" project, which provided fire patches to traditional markets to prevent fire accidents, was suspended due to potential violations of the Public Official Election Act’s restrictions on donations.

The "Gas Detector Installation Project for Vulnerable Groups" also failed to gain momentum due to lack of legal grounds. There was also a possibility of overlapping support issues with similar projects promoted by other departments.

Five projects, including the operation of the comprehensive welfare safety net SOS notifier, children's tax lectures with magic shows, and the publication of a comprehensive local tax guidebook for corporations, were terminated due to significant overlap with existing projects.

Shin Jeong-hoon, a Buk-gu council member, said, "In fact, policy discovery tends to be more about 'let’s try what other local governments are doing' rather than reflecting the district’s actual situation well," adding, "We need to move away from a formal attitude of treating it like a pending task and develop excellent policies that enhance resident benefits based on listening to residents’ opinions, thoughtful consideration, and free discussion."

In response, a district official explained, "Discovering new policies can be a burden among staff and there are practical limitations," but added, "It is also difficult to say that policies implemented in other regions are being indiscriminately applied and overused." He further stated, "It can be understood as an effort to reduce budget and improve administrative efficiency by organizing overlapping projects through the sunset clause, much like how unused items are discarded when moving house."