Mayor-led task force created; 'citizen-centered administration' to channel public input into policy
Paju city has established a mayor-led task force to drive key projects as the ninth elected municipal term gets underway, and is preparing a framework to incorporate public opinion into city administration.
According to Paju city on Monday, Mayor Son Bae-chan approved a plan to create a "Key Issues Task Force" directly under the mayor's office and to launch a public deliberation initiative. The approval marks the first major policy decision since Son took office, translating the ninth term's governing philosophy of "practical, evidence-based administration" into organizational practice and fulfilling a campaign pledge to put residents at the center of city governance.
The Key Issues Task Force will select priority projects and set their direction, as well as monitor progress. The team will include not only internal city staff but also residents and outside experts in relevant fields, ensuring that responses are grounded in both on-the-ground realities and specialized knowledge. The plan consolidates key issues that had previously been handled in a fragmented, department-by-department manner under a single mayor-led structure, aiming to boost both the pace and the effectiveness of project delivery.
Paju city plans to pursue what it calls "citizen-centered administration" — a system that channels public input through multiple avenues on major issues that directly affect residents' daily lives. On four issues in particular — dismantling the prostitution district and redeveloping the site, reorganizing the administrative boundaries of the Unjeong area, improving transportation, and determining how to use public facility land — the city intends to gather broad public opinion through forums, resident briefings and public hearings, and incorporate the results into policy.
"The Key Issues Task Force will focus on resolving urgent matters swiftly and responsibly under the mayor's direct authority, while the public deliberation process will focus on finding the most rational solutions together with residents," Mayor Son said. "By running both systems in parallel, we will push forward the ninth term's core agenda with both momentum and credibility."
He added: "The dismantling of the prostitution district and redevelopment of the site is a long-held community aspiration, so we will go through a thorough public deliberation process and reach a rational conclusion that residents can embrace."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
