"The Class President Runs"... Seodaemun-gu Promotes Activity Support and Revitalization Projects

Commemorative photo after the class president job training in Seodaemun-gu. Provided by Seodaemun-gu.

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 27th that it is promoting the city’s first-ever ‘Support and Activation Project for Banjang Activities’ to enhance the role of banjangs within the local community.

First, the district is making efforts to increase the appointment rate of banjangs, as many positions are vacant or held nominally by elderly individuals. Recently, through a comprehensive survey of each neighborhood, banjangs who found it difficult to perform their duties due to health reasons were dismissed, and new banjangs capable of actively contributing to the community were recruited. As a result, out of the 3,451 banjang positions, 3,001 are currently filled, raising the appointment rate from about half to 90%.

The district is also actively promoting district projects that banjangs can participate in. Currently, about 1,800 banjangs are involved in 14 projects including Our Neighborhood Watch, Education Guardians, Resident Participatory Budget Committee, District Administration Evaluation Group, Resident Participation Supervision System, Shared Parking Activists, Neighbor Care Teams, Resource Managers, Resident Snow Removal Teams, Lifelong Education Monitoring Staff, and Lunch Assistants at Senior Centers.

The district evaluated that with the cooperation of banjangs, the effectiveness of welfare policies and other initiatives has improved, and communication between the district administration and the local community has become more intimate. To boost the morale of banjangs who volunteer for the community, incentives such as health checkup fees and communication expenses support, full discounts on usage fees for community centers and admission fees to Seodaemun Prison History Hall and Seodaemun Natural History Museum, as well as beverage discounts at Pokpo Cafe are provided. Customized capacity-building education and workshops are also being promoted to help banjangs grow as community leaders.

Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “I am grateful to the banjangs who know the community best and take on various roles for the area,” and added, “I hope the positive effects of banjangs’ participation in district projects become exemplary cases that spread to other local governments.”