Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung marks 100 days in office with push for field-based, citizen-first governance

Gimpo City has marked the 100th day of the elected ninth-term administration by rolling out a field-based, citizen-centered governance system aimed at resolving public grievances more quickly.

The city said Thursday it had handled 258 in-person and phone consultations, 77 on-site consultations, and 23,667 civil complaints filed through the national petition portal since Mayor Lee Ki-hyung took office.

The figures reflect Lee's pledge at his inauguration to make communication the top priority of his administration and to govern from the field rather than from behind a desk.

The city has been running a mobile mayor's office program — dubbed "The Mayor Is Coming!" — in which Lee visits residents directly without requiring prior appointments. The initiative launched in August with an after-work meet-and-greet at Gurae Station Plaza, followed by a visit to the Gimpo Five-Day Market in September.

Lee has also stepped in personally as a mediator in contentious group complaints. He has held more than 20 direct meetings on complex, multi-stakeholder issues, including development projects in the Geolpo District 4 and Han River 2 public housing zones, public transportation inconveniences, and improvements to services for people with disabilities.

On matters requiring coordination across city departments — such as revitalizing the La Veniche commercial district and removing flower beds at Modam Mountain Park — the city has held 12 resident forums and seven joint on-site inspections to work toward solutions.

The city also reorganized its administrative structure to strengthen institutional support, establishing a Citizens' Communication Planning Office directly under the mayor on Monday and expanding its civil complaint manager system. The changes significantly bolstered the city's capacity to coordinate and mediate long-unresolved issues and complex complaints involving multiple departments.

"Going directly to residents, listening to their concerns, and working through solutions together is the essence of communicative governance," Lee said. "We will focus city administration on ensuring that the newly established Citizens' Communication Planning Office moves beyond simply listening to deliver real coordination and dialogue."