"Only Annoying Complaints Make Public Officials Efficient"... Criticizing Malicious Complaints but Snowfall Is an Exception?

"Residents Must Be Vocal to Get Work Done"
Controversy Over Local Community Posts
Seongnam City Deploys All Staff for Snow Removal Tasks

On the 28th, when heavy snow fell for two consecutive days in Seoul and the metropolitan area, officials were conducting snow removal work at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

As unprecedented heavy snowfall paralyzed morning commutes mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area, those expressing dissatisfaction with public officials over snow removal efforts have come under scrutiny.

On the 27th, a post was uploaded on a community forum in a region of Gyeonggi Province, claiming that public officials were not properly conducting snow removal operations. The author said, "Is the lack of snow removal due to public officials' quitting time?" and added, "It seems that snow removal is unusually neglected every winter. I think I will officially file a complaint tomorrow morning."

Other members also agreed with the author's opinion, leaving comments such as, "The more persistent the residents are, the more responsive the public officials will be. If they neglect it out of annoyance, it will only result in inconvenience," "Public officials only move when complaints are persistently filed. Complaints submitted through the Safety Report cannot be ignored, so please file them frequently," "Everyone needs to keep pressing them. They have been slacking off so far, and they won't change that habit quickly," "This is a matter of public officials' capability. It's not a natural disaster but a man-made problem," and "The snow didn't come suddenly; even if busy, they must do their job."

On the 30th, when heavy snow fell in Seoul and the metropolitan area under a heavy snow advisory, a district office official came out to carry out snow removal work. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Similar posts appeared on a community forum in Seongnam. Here too, citizens expressed their dissatisfaction with comments like, "Has Bundang given up on snow removal? I commute to Seoul, and the difference in snow removal conditions is striking," "Why doesn't Seongnam do snow removal?" and "Why are the roads in such a state?"

However, Seongnam City reportedly deployed all 3,000 employees for snow removal efforts on the 28th. Following the first snowfall on the 27th, and over 30 cm of heavy snow on the 28th, the city raised the snow removal emergency response to level 2 and dispatched city and district office employees to their respective neighborhoods to conduct snow removal in 50 districts. Employees cleared snow accumulated at multi-use facilities such as bus stops, subway stations, crosswalks, and pedestrian overpasses, as well as at snow removal vulnerable sites. A city official stated, "We are mobilizing all administrative resources, including spreading de-icing agents, operating automatic brine spraying devices and road heating systems, and reinforcing snow removal personnel, to minimize citizen inconvenience." Not only Seongnam but also public officials in Gyeonggi areas under heavy snow warnings, such as Suwon City and Yangpyeong County, have all entered emergency response mode.

Public officials in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province are conducting snow removal operations. Seongnam-si

In response, one netizen said, "I understand the frustration being expressed," but added, "Some local cafes have posts suggesting filing group complaints, but that doesn't mean the issue will be resolved quickly." They continued, "I hope people recognize that the majority of public officials are working hard." Other netizens also responded with comments like, "It's not only Seoul that did a good job with snow removal. The southern Gyeonggi region received more snow," "Public officials are human too and have their limits," "We should show an attitude of enduring a little inconvenience," and "Clear the snow in front of your own house yourself."