From care services and mental health to stream restoration and tourism — civil servants driving real change in residents' daily lives through proactive, field-first administration
Seoul's Gangbuk-gu announced Thursday that it has selected five civil servants as its "Outstanding Proactive Administration Civil Servants for the First Half of 2026," recognizing employees who actively tackled problems in the field and drove meaningful change in residents' daily lives. The district made the announcement under District Mayor Lee Soon-hee.
The Outstanding Proactive Administration Civil Servant program identifies and rewards staff who deliver tangible results for residents — including developing new policies, cutting red tape, resolving civil complaints and improving service quality.
The district received 14 nominations for the first half of this year and, following performance reviews and preliminary and final evaluations, selected five honorees: one top prize, two excellence awards and two encouragement awards.
The honorees were recognized for driving change in residents' lives across a wide range of fields — welfare, safety, health, the environment and tourism — by breaking from conventional practice and pursuing their work with initiative.
The top prize went to Jeong Gyo-mun of the Welfare Policy Division, who contributed to building Gangbuk-gu's integrated care support system. Jeong established an inter-departmental collaboration framework and strengthened public-private partnerships in line with the Integrated Care Support Act, which took effect in March, laying the groundwork for residents in need of care to receive more systematic support.
The excellence awards went to Jang Hye-hyeon of the Construction Management Division and Choi Jin-young of the Community Health Division. Jang resolved a long-standing illegal encroachment problem along Daedong Stream, allowing residents to use the waterway more safely and comfortably. Choi launched "mental health hubs" at convenience stores and banks and introduced a QR code-based mental health screening system, improving residents' access to mental health services.
The encouragement awards went to Bae Jeong-ho of the Sanitation Administration Division and Kim Ga-young of the Culture and Tourism Division. Bae partnered with daycare centers to expand participation in milk carton recycling and helped promote resource-circulation education for children. Kim secured the Seoul Lantern Festival for Uicheon Stream and piloted a Gangbuk-style wellness tourism program, working to boost local tourism and revitalize the area's commercial districts.
The district plans to present the honorees with commendations along with cash prizes and additional leave.
"The efforts of staff who went out into the field to find answers and took proactive action so that residents could feel real change in their everyday lives have translated into strong results," District Mayor Lee Soon-hee said. "We will continue to pursue proactive administration that creates tangible change close to residents' lives."
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