Why Did Seoul District Mayors Emphasize 'Integrity' for Public Officials?

Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, Broadcasts Integrity Program 'Embracing Integrity in Sound'
Lee Pil-hyung, Dongdaemun District Mayor, Special Lecture on 'Integrity Stories from a 30-Year Public Service Veteran'

For public officials, ‘integrity’ is one of the most valuable virtues alongside ‘kindness.’

Although the integrity of public officials has improved tremendously compared to the past, integrity should always be kept in mind.

For this reason, district heads in Seoul are stepping forward whenever possible to encourage integrity among public officials.

Jung Won-oh, Seongdong-gu Mayor, Enhances Employees’ Integrity Sensitivity through ‘Embracing Integrity in Sound’ Integrity Broadcast

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) broadcasts the ‘Embracing Integrity in Sound’ integrity program over the district office’s internal broadcasting system every last Wednesday of the month during Integrity Week to raise employees’ sensitivity to integrity.

At 8:50 a.m. on the 28th, an integrity essay read by Mayor Jung Won-oh was aired at the Seongdong-gu office, capturing employees’ attention. The essay emphasized the importance of making honest choices by reminding listeners of the social values lost, such as colleagues’ trust and respect, due to corrupt decisions.

The district selects outstanding integrity essays written by employees based on their experiences or thoughts related to integrity in daily life and introduces them through the integrity broadcast.

The essays are recorded in the voice of the respective employee, adding a special touch. After the broadcast, the essay is posted on the integrity bulletin board along with the recording, sparking keen interest among employees to identify the voice’s owner while listening. Moreover, since the essays are based on employees’ direct experiences, they resonate strongly with the staff.

Seongdong-gu is focusing on enhancing integrity sensitivity that permeates daily life to realize a corruption-free and honest district administration. Under the theme ‘Integrity Sensitivity Enhancement Project: Seongdong-gu Embraces Integrity,’ it is promoting various participatory integrity policies in diverse formats.

This project involves all employees and includes ▲‘Integrity Broadcast,’ where employees share essays about integrity-related anecdotes from daily life ▲‘Integrity Pledge Ceremony,’ where employees commit to fair and honest work ▲‘Integrity Book Review Relay,’ where employees share their thoughts through one-line reviews of integrity-related books.

Notably, in February, all departments of Seongdong-gu office wrote integrity pledges to foster a culture of honest public service. In June, 29 leaders including the mayor, deputy mayor, and department heads led by example by holding an integrity pledge ceremony to reaffirm their commitment.

From May to July, the district operated the ‘Integrity Book Review Relay,’ where employees read integrity books and shared their impressions and thoughts through reviews. The novel ‘Jenga,’ selected by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission as an integrity book, was provided to each department to collectively read, offering an opportunity to indirectly experience workplace corruption issues.

The book review relay saw voluntary participation from employees, submitting a total of 55 reviews. These were posted in three rounds on the integrity bulletin board, and 20 outstanding reviews were separately awarded.

An employee who participated in the review relay commented, “Reading the integrity book and writing the review gave me time to reflect on myself and the organization.” Mayor Jung Won-oh also participated, leaving a review stating, “Just as a person being alive does not mean they are free from illness, an organization not yet collapsed does not mean it has no holes. It requires our own efforts to patch those holes.”

Mayor Jung Won-oh said, “Based on a tightly established anti-corruption legal framework and systems, we are striving to help each public official enhance their integrity mindset,” adding, “By encouraging employees to participate in various integrity policies, we will continue to spread an integrity culture.”

Lee Pil-hyung, Dongdaemun-gu Mayor, Special Lecture on ‘Integrity Stories from a 30-Year Public Service Veteran’

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) held a prevention education session against power harassment on the 14th for over 60 senior officials at grade 5 or higher to eradicate abuse of power within the organization and foster a healthy organizational culture.

The training aimed to raise awareness among senior public officials about power harassment and establish an integrity atmosphere within the organization through cultivating leadership based on communication and empathy.

Mayor Lee Pil-hyung, who served as the instructor, delivered a special lecture titled ‘Integrity Stories from a 30-Year Public Service Veteran,’ sharing examples and practical measures from the public officials’ code of conduct to encourage voluntary prevention of power harassment and transparent use of budgets to maintain integrity.

Participants said, “It was an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of communication in work,” and “This lecture will greatly help improve public officials’ qualifications and enhance organizational culture.”

Mayor Lee Pil-hyung stated, “I hope you lead the organization as leaders with a sense of mission and pride,” and urged, “Please work hard to root a strong integrity consciousness within the organization and strengthen communication and cooperation.”

Dongdaemun-gu is promoting various participatory integrity policies to spread a communicative organizational culture and enhance integrity sensitivity, including ▲‘You and I Integrity Day’ ▲‘Integrity Ah! Let’s Play’ events ▲and operating the integrity club ‘Integrity The Keyumdan.’

Moreover, as the Chuseok holiday approaches, Seoul city and autonomous districts will launch various events to foster an integrity culture.