100 Days In, Gangbuk-gu District Mayor Jung Chang-soo Finds Joy in Small but Certain Actions

"Do we really have to make a new banner every time we hold a meeting?"

That question came to Gangbuk-gu District Mayor Jung Chang-soo at the first expanded executive meeting he attended after taking office. A banner hung at the front of the room bore the number "1." The next meeting would call for one reading "2," and the one after that "3" — a new banner each time.

The meeting room already had a projector and screen installed. Jung said that while banners with fixed information could stay, recurring meetings and events should use the screen instead, cutting down on unnecessary production.

Jung shared the episode on his Facebook page as his first "sowhakhaeng" — a term commonly understood as "small but certain happiness." He added his own twist to the phrase, redefining it as "small but certain action": a commitment to taking a second look at things done out of habit and changing what can be changed, starting immediately.

That first story has since grown into 24 installments as Gangbuk-gu marks 100 days since the launch of the ninth elected term.

Asking one more question beyond 'this is how it's always been done'

After taking office, Jung chose not to redecorate or replace the furnishings in the district mayor's office, opting to use what was already there rather than swap out items that still served their purpose.

He did, however, have the opaque window film removed from the office door. The idea was to signal greater openness starting from the district mayor's own office and to communicate more directly with residents. It was a small detail that most people would not notice, but it reflected his view that even long-standing environmental norms can be changed when there is reason to do so.

The district also took a fresh look at how it provides cold water to residents during summer. Instead of distributing plastic bottles as it had in previous years, Gangbuk-gu opened "Gangbuk Oasis" in September along the clay-path trail near Beolligyo Bridge on Uicheon stream, offering chilled water and ice.

"It's great to get cold water with ice," one resident said at the scene. "The water tastes fine, too." The change improved convenience for residents while also reducing single-use plastic consumption.

Asking one more question about the way things have always been done is where each sowhakhaeng begins.

Seeing things from the recipient's perspective

The district also reconsidered its childbirth congratulatory gift package from the recipient's point of view. Officials had included standard-issue garbage bags in the package on practical grounds, but Jung prompted a review of whether such items were appropriate as a celebratory gift. The district is now working toward a system that would let parents choose the baby items they actually need, with plans to implement the change next year.

The thinking behind it: before deciding what is convenient for the administration to provide, consider first what the recipient actually needs and how they feel about receiving it.

During a visit to the Gangbuk Wellbeing Sports Center, Jung reviewed the facility's fee-reduction policy and found that while senior citizens, basic livelihood security recipients and other groups received discounts, single-parent families were not included. He directed officials to extend the fee-reduction benefit to single-parent families as well.

From a single congratulatory gift to the criteria governing public facility use, the approach is the same: rather than leaving existing policies and systems as they are, take one more look at them from the perspective of the residents who actually use them.

Tending to daily life — and sharing a laugh

Jung also paid close attention to what elderly residents need in their everyday lives.

Responding to feedback from the field that rising prices were making it harder to put together banchan, or side dishes, the district increased the food budget for senior centers. It is also preparing a deep-cleaning drive for those centers to ease the burden on elderly users. The goal is to make each meal a little more satisfying and the spaces where seniors spend their days a little more comfortable.

At a senior celebration event, Jung took a different approach to connecting with the elderly attendees. "How can I get them to have a real, hearty laugh?" he asked himself.

After work, he went to a neighborhood noraebang with his wife and practiced songs he thought the seniors would enjoy. He also bought a gold sequined jacket for the occasion. When he took the stage and began to sing, one elderly attendee walked up to the front, took his hand and joined in.

From looking after meals and living spaces to creating moments of shared laughter — the methods varied, but the intent was the same: to stay close to what elderly residents need in their daily lives.

100 days into the ninth elected term — changing things from the smallest details up

A banner in a meeting room. A sheet of window film on an office door. A cup of cold water by Uicheon stream. A gift for a family with a newborn. A meal for an elderly resident. Each item may seem small, but every one of them represents a change that began close to the realities of public administration or the lives of residents.

The sowhakhaeng approach in Gangbuk-gu means not walking past the inconveniences and ingrained habits found in administrative practice and residents' daily lives — but instead taking one more look at existing systems from the resident's perspective and acting on what can be changed.

"I will continue to look carefully at things that have been taken for granted in the field of public administration and in residents' daily lives," Jung said. "I will act immediately on what can be changed, and I will consistently carry out 'small but certain actions' so that residents can feel even the smallest difference."