Jeon Seongsoo’s “Neighborhood Walk Season 2”: Responsive Administration Completed in All 17 Districts of Seocho

Met 1,400 Residents Across 78 Sites

"Every word from the residents is like a tonic for me."

On the afternoon of February 27, Jeon Seongsoo, Mayor of Seocho District, approached a resident using exercise equipment at the Barrier-Free Forest Trail in Bangbae 3-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, greeting them and asking if they had experienced any inconveniences while using the facilities.

This day’s itinerary, which included stops at the Bangbae Gran Xi Senior Center and the Seocho daycare center before reaching the trail, was more than just a simple inspection. It was an opportunity for Mayor Jeon to personally re-examine the exercise facilities and trail, which were completed in April last year, and directly listen to residents' feedback on site.

The full schedule of "Neighborhood Walk Season 2" in Bangbae 3-dong concluded after nearly three hours of walking. Beginning on January 12 in Seocho 3-dong, Mayor Jeon walked with employees and residents through three neighborhoods each week, covering all 17 neighborhoods and 78 sites in total.

Jeon Seongsoo’s “Neighborhood Walk Season 2”: Responsive Administration Completed in All 17 Districts of Seocho

Seongsoo Jeon, Mayor of Seocho District, is answering questions from parents of Seocho Daycare Center. Provided by Seocho District.

During this period, Mayor Jeon met with 1,400 residents on site and received over 190 suggestions. He walked an average of 7,000 steps per neighborhood, totaling 120,000 steps.

Whereas last year’s Season 1 was an "exploratory" approach-accompanied by local leaders to visit landmarks and construction sites-Season 2 took on a "verification" approach, directly checking with residents about the operation of projects initiated in the 8th popularly-elected administration, such as road heating systems, utility undergrounding, barrier-free forest trails, and crosswalks.

Mayor Jeon said, "If you stay in one place, you just shake hands at the beginning and then leave, but by walking together and having conversations, the communication is much deeper and more meaningful."

Jo Hyejeong, a member of the Bangbae 3-dong Residents’ Council who accompanied the group to all three sites that day, said, "There’s no script for these interactions with residents, and whenever we make suggestions, the district office gets in touch right away. It’s more reassuring because they even follow up with the results."

The Three-Part “Responsive Administration” Communication Package

At the Bangbae Gran Xi Senior Center, Mayor Jeon met with about 30 senior citizens, and then held a meeting with about 10 parents at the nearby public Seocho daycare center. Before the meeting, he toured all three floors of the daycare, greeting children and making eye contact as he inspected the facilities.

A parent of a graduating child suggested ensuring stable staffing of special education teachers for inclusion classes, while another parent with two children at the daycare requested the installation of a heating system for the slope in front of the daycare center.

Mayor Jeon responded, "We will look for ways to secure additional special education teachers where possible," and added, "We will review plans to make sure heating systems can be installed even in areas that do not meet the usual slope criteria, especially in school zones and around facilities for people with limited mobility."

Mayor Jeon has established a variety of closely interlinked communication channels, which he refers to as the “three-part responsive administration package”: “Neighborhood Walk," "On-the-Go Jeonseongsuda," and "Let’s Meet the Mayor." These initiatives are being actively implemented.

Last year, through “Neighborhood Walk Season 1,” a new ramp was installed at the back entrance of the Bangbae Senior Welfare Center in Bangbae 2-dong, and an additional crosswalk and speed bump were added in front of Seoil Elementary School in Seocho 1-dong. The pedestrian signal time at major crosswalks was also increased from 25 to 28 seconds.

Through “On-the-Go Seocho Jeonseongsuda,” Mayor Jeon visited 142 sites and met with 2,420 people over 75 sessions last year. The “Let’s Meet the Mayor” program, which opens the mayor’s office to the public every other week, collected feedback on 100 agenda items from 666 people over 68 sessions. In addition, by making the mayor’s phone number public through the "Sungsoo’s Direct Line," the connection between residents and the mayor has effectively become constant.

On February 12, Seocho District awarded the “Seocho Heartbeat Award” to 70 residents and groups who made suggestions for improving daily life through these communication channels. True to the name-“An award that made the residents’ hearts beat!”-this created an unprecedented administrative culture that encourages those raising civil complaints.

Mayor Jeon Seongsoo stated, "We will continue to listen closely to the voices of residents through various communication channels and practice responsive administration by taking action."