Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Donggeun Kim) announced on the 26th that it held a luncheon meeting with officials from the top five departments handling civil complaints on the National Sinmungo on the 25th. During the meeting, the city listened to voices from the civil complaint field and exchanged a variety of opinions on improving working conditions and enhancing the quality of civil complaint services.
Mayor Donggeun Kim is taking a commemorative photo with the officials in charge of the top five departments handling civil complaints on the National Sinmungo after having a luncheon meeting on the 25th. Provided by Uijeongbu City
This meeting, presided over by Mayor Donggeun Kim, was organized to listen to the difficulties faced by eight frontline officials responding to the increasing number of civil complaints on the National Sinmungo, and to seek effective measures to improve their working environment through open and candid discussions.
The number of civil complaints submitted to Uijeongbu City via the National Sinmungo has continued to increase, with 79,044 cases in 2023 and 94,343 cases in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 20,515 cases were received. Notably, as of the first quarter of this year, 16,353 cases, or 79.7% of all complaints, were handled by the top five departments.
The employees who attended the meeting are mainly responsible for handling civil complaints that directly affect citizens, such as cracking down on illegal parking, road maintenance and repair, imposing fines and penalties for violations, and responding to complaints in the field.
They reported that they are constantly exposed to strong protests and repeated complaints from citizens, and some expressed that extreme language or emotional labor is leading to accumulated psychological fatigue and stress.
Mayor Kim expressed deep empathy for the difficulties faced in the field, encouraged each employee individually, and listened attentively to the challenges of processing large volumes of complaints and the difficulties experienced during civil complaint responses.
In particular, during this meeting, participants raised the need for support and incentives aimed at the emotional recovery of civil complaint officers. The city plans to actively consider comprehensive measures to boost morale and provide practical protection for these public officials, including awards for outstanding civil complaint processing, healing programs, and support for medical expenses related to both physical and psychological harm.
Mayor Donggeun Kim stated, "In a situation where civil complaints on the National Sinmungo continue to increase, the dedication of officials who directly interact with citizens determines the quality of municipal administration. Taking this meeting as an opportunity, we will make multifaceted efforts to provide fair and compassionate civil complaint services to citizens and a rewarding work environment for frontline public officials."
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