Mayor Lee Pil-hyung Celebrates Employees' Birthdays with Seaweed Soup and Cake in the Cafeteria
Two Employees Selected for Overseas Training at Portland State University to Enhance Global Competence
Lee Pil-hyung, the mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, is quietly becoming a topic of interest for his love and care for his employees.
He celebrates employees' birthdays by preparing seaweed soup and sends staff to American universities to enhance their global capabilities.
He also spares no effort in nurturing a broader worldview through book discussions with employees.
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun District (left), is celebrating by serving seaweed soup to an employee on their birthday.
◆Mayor Lee Pil-hyung Arranges Birthday Celebrations for Employees... Serves Seaweed Soup and Holds Cake Parties
On the 27th of last month, Mayor Lee held a birthday celebration for about 20 employees born in January and February.
Since April last year, the district has been holding events to boost morale and communication among employees celebrating their birthdays.
On this day, Mayor Lee personally served seaweed soup with scallops to employees in the district cafeteria, conveying his heartfelt congratulations. The mayor and employees enjoyed a meal together, sang birthday songs, and joyfully blew out the candles on the cake.
Mayor Lee encouraged the employees with the message, “Love yourself and continuously change and develop.”
An employee, A, who participated in the event, said, “I was touched by the mayor’s warm consideration,” adding, “I believe I can have a more enjoyable and vibrant work life going forward.”
Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyung Lee and employees blowing out the cake candles at the staff birthday celebration event
On Christmas Eve last year, Mayor Lee also transformed into a ‘one-day Santa’ to deliver snacks and words of encouragement to employees. Dongdaemun-gu continues to hold various events to boost employee morale and communication.
Mayor Lee’s love for his employees goes beyond these events.
◆Selecting Employees to Send for Training at Portland State University in the U.S. to Support Global Competency Enhancement
Mayor Lee selected two employees to participate in the international expert program at Portland State University in the U.S. to explore ‘global market development plans’ and ‘public job innovation strategies’ as part of efforts to enhance employees’ global capabilities.
This is a rare decision among other autonomous districts in Seoul.
On the 19th, the district signed a business agreement with Portland State University to establish a cooperative relationship for dispatching employees abroad for training.
This agreement aims to address district administrative tasks, study advanced foreign policies and systems, and strengthen policy response capabilities. To this end, a six-month overseas training program will be operated.
Dongdaemun-gu selected two employees who met language requirements: Moon Gwang-hyun from the Safety and Disaster Department and Jeon Tae-in from the Tax Department. They are scheduled to participate in the international expert program at Portland State University, with the dispatch planned for May.
During the training period, participants will visit Portland and major U.S. markets to investigate and analyze government non-monetary support policies and conduct research to explore ‘global market development plans for Gyeongdong Market.’ They will also benchmark Portland’s public-private partnership job models to prepare ‘Dongdaemun-gu public job innovation plans.’ After training, they will be assigned to relevant departments to apply their research outcomes to district administration.
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun District Office (center), congratulated Moon Gwang-hyun, Safety and Disaster Division officer, and Jeon Tae-in, Tax Division officer, who were dispatched for overseas training at Portland State University in the United States.
Portland State University, established in 1946 in Portland, Oregon, is a state research-focused comprehensive university. In 2023, it ranked between 111th and 120th among U.S. universities according to the British university ranking agency QS. The university supports participants’ training, and both institutions plan to continue expanding cooperation through joint academic conferences and seminars.
Lee Pil-hyung, mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “The more our employees see and learn, the greater the potential for Dongdaemun-gu’s development.” He added, “Through this agreement, we will actively support our employees to directly experience and study world-class policies and systems, leading to practical administrative innovation and regional development.”
◆Regular Book Discussions with Employees to Broaden Perspectives
Mayor Lee also shows affection by holding book discussions to enhance employees’ capabilities.
He often reads books or newspapers in his car on the way to work or in his office.
In November 2023, he held a book discussion with employees on Pascal Mercier’s novel The Weight of Words. The novel tells the story of a protagonist who, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and organizing his life, learns it was a misdiagnosis and contemplates how to spend the new time given to him.
Mayor Lee read passages marked with underlines and highlighter pens, sharing impressive excerpts. “Success or failure in life is determined by special events distinct from others. Everyone experiences their own life...” He and the employees empathized with the protagonist’s situation and exchanged diverse opinions on attitudes and approaches to life.
Lee Pil-hyung, a native of Dongdaemun-gu who grew up and attended middle school, high school, and university in the district, shows exceptional affection for the area. While visiting various sites daily and communicating with residents, he also demonstrates care for his employees.
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