Can Gangnam-gu finally live up to its name in governance?

Gangnam-gu is widely regarded as South Korea's foremost symbol of wealth.

With wide boulevards, a dense subway network and strong public safety, education and cultural infrastructure, it is consistently ranked among the most desirable places to live in the country.

Yet for all its fiscal strength and prestige, the district has at times been criticized for governance that fell short of its lofty reputation.

That assessment may be changing. Since the start of the ninth elected-term administration, signs of a genuine shift have begun to emerge.

District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi, who spent 12 years as a senior aide to a veteran lawmaker and observed national governance at close range, has brought a noticeably different pace and quality to the district's administration since taking office.

Kim focused heavily on budget affairs during his time as a parliamentary aide and holds a doctorate in public administration from Dongguk University.

He subsequently served four terms as a Seoul Metropolitan Council member representing Gangnam-gu, gaining broad familiarity with both city and district governance. His tenure as speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council gave him firsthand experience of how the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education operate.

Since taking office as district mayor, Kim has earned the trust of staff by making swift decisions grounded in political acumen and extensive practical experience, while refraining from unreasonable demands.

His working relationship with Deputy District Mayor Kim Su-deok has also drawn notice.

Kim Su-deok, a senior civil servant who passed the higher civil service examination and built a strong reputation through key posts at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, joined Gangnam-gu after District Mayor Kim personally lobbied Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to secure the appointment.

Inside and outside the district office, the deputy district mayor is described as a "top deputy for a top district mayor" — someone who combines ability with character.

With the district mayor and his deputy providing steady leadership, directors, division chiefs and staff alike have thrown themselves into their work. That organizational energy has translated into a string of creative administrative achievements.

Press releases issued by the district office serve as the public face of the institution on any given day.

For a local government, each release represents the collective effort of the district mayor, deputy district mayor, directors, division chiefs and all staff — it is, in effect, the organization's calling card.

That makes the daily stream of press releases an unavoidable measure of how the institution is performing.

The communications team plays a central role in that effort. Gangnam-gu's policy communications office, led by Seo Hyeok-su — a former press team chief who also served as head of the planning and budget division — works alongside Press Team Chief Shim Mi-ae and a group of press officers to produce each release.

On Thursday, the district announced a plan to replace the transparent partitions at its public service counters with real-time translation devices, allowing foreign nationals and members of multicultural households who visit the office to obtain civil documents to receive live interpretation through the partition.

On Monday, the district said it had developed a system in which AI analyzes a property registry extract and identifies real estate ownership shares in just one second.

The district is also taking proactive steps to refund overpaid acquisition taxes to residents without requiring them to file a separate application.

Two district officials, Kim Taek-jung and Lee Ju-han, received the Ministry of Interior and Safety's "AI Champion Blue" award — another sign of Gangnam-gu's evolving administrative capabilities.

The succession of new initiatives has prompted some to ask aloud when Gangnam-gu last rolled out such a sustained run of genuinely innovative governance.

In the past, the district was often criticized for governance that lagged behind its overwhelmingly strong fiscal position relative to other Seoul districts.

Under the ninth elected-term administration, however, that criticism looks increasingly unlikely to stick.

"You can clearly feel that the level at which the district office operates has changed markedly from before," a senior Gangnam-gu official said.

The remark carries the sense that while the workload has intensified, so too has the sense of accomplishment.

What matters now is ensuring that the winds of change do not stop at a one-off achievement but take root in the daily lives of residents.

At the same time, voices within the district are calling for careful management of staff workloads to prevent burnout from the heightened pace.

Whether Gangnam-gu can earn recognition not only for the fame of its name but for the quality of its governance remains to be seen.