Left Unattended for Three Days,
Small Business Owners Left Struggling
On the 24th, Mr. A applied for reissuance of the mail-order business registration certificate through Government24, but there was no response. Provided by the informant
Although the government promotes "one-click civil complaint processing" as part of its digital government initiative, in reality, citizens are left frustrated as departments shift responsibility onto each other.
Mr. A, who operates a business in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, applied for the reissuance of a mail-order business registration certificate through Government24 on the 24th.
This type of request is typically handled immediately or within a maximum of three hours, as it is a simple administrative matter. However, by the following day, the 25th, there was still no notification regarding the processing of the request.
Thinking that the reissuance might not be possible due to the absence of a previous registration, Mr. A urgently submitted a new application as well.
The problem escalated on the 26th, the deadline for submitting Mr. A's business change documents. Even as the deadline approached, both the reissuance and new registration requests remained stuck in "processing" status.
When a desperate Mr. A contacted the Sinan County Office's civil service desk, the response was generic: "This is a matter for the relevant department, so we will pass it on." After insisting on being directly connected and finally reaching the responsible department, the explanation received was even more baffling.
Staff member B stated, "Our department was not assigned the work by the civil service desk, so we were unaware of the application."
This means that the application was left unattended somewhere within the system for three days. The civil service desk failed to classify the application properly, and the working-level department neglected to check the system. Meanwhile, the small business owner, facing a store entry deadline, was pushed into a desperate situation.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety regulations, reissuance of a mail-order business registration certificate must be processed within three working hours. Even if reissuance was not possible due to the absence of a previous registration, the responsible official should have immediately rejected the request or guided the applicant to submit a new application.
Nevertheless, the county office maintained a "no response" stance for three days, leaving the consequences entirely on the shoulders of local residents.
Mr. A criticized, "The administrative system exists for the convenience of citizens. If departments keep blaming system issues and departmental silos, someone's livelihood will always be at risk. This incident should not be dismissed as a minor mishap. The county must take this as an opportunity to thoroughly inspect its complaint reception and transfer system, and strengthen its commitment to proactive administration."
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