Jung-gu Appoints 24 New Resident Coordinators

Completion Ceremony and Appointment of Resident Mediators on the 12th
Resident activists mediating and resolving neighborhood disputes in daily life
Advanced training planned for the second half of the year to enhance conflict resolution expertise

Jung-gu, Seoul held a completion ceremony for resident mediator training and an appointment ceremony for 24 newly trained resident mediators on the 12th.

Resident mediators are community activists who mediate and resolve conflicts between neighbors arising from everyday issues such as noise between floors, garbage, and smoking, as well as conflicts caused by projects promoted by the district office. They coordinate differing opinions through dialogue when complex and diverse living problems arise among residents.

The resident mediators appointed that day successfully completed a total of 28 hours of training, from basic to specialized education. Going forward, they will work as members of the Jung-gu Village Conflict Mediation Support Group, listening to residents' opinions on district projects that may cause conflicts and mediating disputes between residents.

Since March, the district has collaborated with the Seoul YMCA Neighbor Dispute Mediation Center (Director Ju Geon-il) for three months to conduct the ‘Resident Mediator Training.’ The purpose is to cultivate local conflict mediation experts under the motto, “Local conflicts are resolved directly by local residents.”

The training consists of lectures by conflict management experts and conflict mediation practice, and participants must complete more than 80% of the entire course to qualify as resident mediators. It received positive feedback for combining theory and practice through various exercises and demonstrations.

The district plans to hold an advanced training session once more in the second half of the year to enhance the conflict resolution expertise of resident mediators. It is expected that residents familiar with local circumstances will effectively serve as bridges between the district and residents, as well as among residents themselves, when conflicts arise.

A resident mediator who participated in the appointment ceremony said, “Honestly, I had never seriously thought about communication before, but through the training, I realized how difficult proper communication is.” They added, “If conflicts arise between neighbors in the future, I will fully utilize what I learned in the training to mediate conflicts and actively contribute to making Jung-gu a better place to live.”

A district official stated, “As society becomes increasingly complex and diverse, the nature of conflicts is also diversifying. We ask that the ‘resident mediators of our neighborhood,’ who know the area best, take pride in their work and fulfill their important duties in daily life.”