Fulfilling his campaign pledge of 'Gangseo Where Residents Are in Charge,' Jin sets governance reform in motion through four strategies and 12 core tasks
Jin Kyo-hoon, the district mayor of Seoul's Gangseo-gu, signed the "Basic Plan for Realizing Resident Sovereignty in Administration" as his first official order on Tuesday, the opening day of his ninth-term mandate, formally launching his campaign pledge agenda.
During the election, Jin put forward "Gangseo Where Residents Are in Charge" as a central campaign pledge. The first official order signals his firm commitment to translating that promise into concrete administrative systems and policy.
The plan aims to build a resident-participatory cooperative governance framework in which any resident can take part in every stage of policymaking and exercise real decision-making power. Rather than simply introducing new systems, the plan focuses on driving administrative innovation that residents can feel in their daily lives.
Under the vision of "a Gangseo where residents are in charge and happiness is unlocked," the district has drawn up four core strategies and 12 key tasks: building a resident-centered participation and self-governance foundation; realizing systematic and transparent future administration; activating on-the-ground communication and fostering a cooperative community; and delivering smart administration that residents can enjoy in everyday life.
Visible changes are expected across district administration. The district plans to expand its resident participatory budgeting system and diversify the membership of the participatory budget committee to include youth, women and people with disabilities. An online civic engagement platform will also be launched where residents can freely submit opinions and policy proposals.
In particular, the district will establish a new policy research body directly under the district mayor — the Gangseo District Policy Research Group — to lay the groundwork for medium- and long-term policy initiatives. Alongside this, the district plans to swiftly adopt best practices from other local governments while boldly restructuring existing projects that have shown low performance or limited effectiveness.
Efforts to improve administrative credibility and transparency will also be stepped up. Expanded senior staff meetings will be broadcast in real time, and a new "district administration transparency index" will be introduced to proactively disclose approval documents, budget execution status and policy materials.
Field-based communication will also be revamped. The district plans to designate "policy curators" for projects of high resident interest to explain initiatives in accessible terms, and to channel resident demands into policy through large-scale public forums and regular community outreach days.
The "civil affairs doctor" service — offering practical help with everyday concerns — will be expanded as well. On top of existing consultations with lawyers, judicial scriveners and real estate agents, new windows staffed by certified public accountants and administrative agents will be added to provide tailored advice.
The district will also introduce an AI-powered personalized information alert service and launch a dedicated website for senior residents to bridge the digital divide.
Building on this plan, the district intends to roll out related projects in phases, institutionally guaranteeing resident participation while strengthening field-based communication so that residents can feel the change in their daily lives.
"Residents are always at the center of administration," Jin said. "I will do my utmost to ensure that every resident's voice is directly reflected in district governance and that the change can be felt in daily life."
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