The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) in Korea carry out annual evaluations of civil petition services provided by 306 administrative entities across the country, which include central ministries, upper local governments and basic local governments. The evaluation criteria consist of 20 indicators spread across three main areas: the fundamental system for managing civil complaints, the execution of civil complaint management activities, and the outcomes of civil complaint handling. These entities are then rated on a scale from A to E.

In this issue, we spotlight Hwaseong City, with its population with 1 million, for securing a grade A in the '2023 Government Evaluation of Civil Petition Service.' This achievement marks Hwaseong City as the leading institution in this area for the third consecutive year.

Hwaseong City, previously recognized as the best organization in 2021 and 2022, and commended by MOIS, has led the way in providing exemplary civil petition services. Among its innovations are a system that allows for the real-time tracking of passport service wait times and the launch of an AI-driven chatbot that offers round-the-clock assistance for civil complaints.

In the most recent assessment, the city was highly commended for its all-encompassing approach to addressing and resolving civil complaints, with notable initiatives including:

△ Initiatives in civil complaint management spearheaded by agency leaders include direct interaction with citizens, such as 'Hope Mars Story Written with Citizens' - a project involving round-table discussions with residents in various communities. These discussions aim to boost satisfaction with municipal services by having the mayor directly address significant topics and listen to the citizens' perspectives.

△ Adoption of mobile video and audio recording devices to foster a secure environment for civil complaints

△ Establishment of a specialized department for handling critical civil complaints - This includes appointing a specific department responsible for legal actions in cases of illegal behavior such as verbal abuse or assault by a complainant, setting up a legal procedure for dealing with such illegal actions, enhancing the protection for complaint handlers, and ensuring a safe working environment.

△ 'Running People’s Newspaper' - A mobile civil complaint consultation service where experts from various fields visit communities to directly address and advise on civil complaints, and when feasible, facilitate resolutions through discussions and mediation with administrative bodies on-site.

Hwaseong's Mayor, Jeong Myeong-geun, expressed his commitment, stating, “Carrying the honor and responsibility of being the top institution in the comprehensive evaluation of civil services for three consecutive years, I, along with the officials of Hwaseong City, will continue to strive towards enhancing the satisfaction of our citizens with the administration of civil services.”

[Source: Hwaseong City / Contact information: mj1224@korea.kr]