Gangseo-gu's integrity-focused administration, led by District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon — widely regarded as a model of clean governance — appears set to become more concrete and actionable.
Seoul's Gangseo-gu held a senior-official integrity pledge ceremony at the district office Tuesday, with District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon and senior civil servants of Grade 4 and above in attendance.
The district presented specific action items for senior officials to lead by example, including reducing repetitive paperwork, holding meetings only when necessary, keeping reports focused on key points, and streamlining official protocols.
The event was designed to encourage senior civil servants to take the lead in eliminating unnecessary practices, establishing rational work processes and a culture of open communication — and in doing so, to spread a culture of integrity that employees can feel throughout the organization.
The action items were drawn directly from staff meetings and surveys that the district mayor personally chaired, reflecting frontline voices and focusing on changes that senior officials can put into practice in their day-to-day work.
Participants each chose one of 10 integrity pledges and signed it before attaching it to a "tree of integrity promises." The 10 commitments were: reducing repetitive paperwork, holding meetings only as needed, keeping reports to the essentials, simplifying official protocols, handling work fairly, listening to staff opinions, and protecting employees.
"Integrity must begin not with grand slogans but with the way we work," District Mayor Jin said. "These action items are a promise from senior officials to directly respond to the difficulties and frustrations that employees have experienced on the ground — and to change."
He added that unnecessary practices should be boldly cut back and that staff opinions should be heard fully, but that managers must step in with accountability and support when needed. He particularly called on managers to take the lead in protecting employees from problems too difficult to handle alone, such as malicious complaints from the public.
The district plans to share senior officials' progress through internal integrity communication channels and to continuously improve unnecessary practices and work methods so that employees' voices translate into real change across the organization.
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