District restructures complaint mediation team, strengthens system for handling unusual and repeat complaints
Seodaemun-gu is stepping up its organizational response to abusive and repeat complaints while introducing special leave for civil servants who cover colleagues on parental or maternity protection leave, as part of a broader push to improve working conditions in the district.
The district announced Friday that it would restructure the complaint investigation team under its audit office into a complaint mediation team, strengthening its capacity to coordinate responses to unusual and repeat complaints.
The core of the reorganization is a shift toward collective institutional responses to complaints that individual departments or civil servants struggle to handle alone. The aim is to prevent the workload and psychological burden of repeat complaints from falling on specific employees, and to allow frontline civil servants to focus on their core duties.
The district also introduced compensation for staff who share the workload. Civil servants who cover for colleagues using parental or maternity protection leave will receive one day of special leave for every 50 cumulative hours of cover duty, up to a maximum of two days per year. Covering two hours a day for 25 days earns one day of special leave.
The measure is notable for formally recognizing cover duty that had previously gone uncompensated. It is designed both to ensure the stable operation of parental support programs and to ease the burden on colleagues who step in.
The district is also pursuing improvements to field working conditions. It will introduce a rotation system for Grade 7 and above civil servants at community service centers and replace aging office computers and furniture. Starting in January 2027, staff will also receive one day off per year for independent reading.
The measures were agreed upon at the 2026 Seodaemun-gu labor-management council, held recently between the district and the Seodaemun-gu branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union.
"Handling abusive complaints is not something that should be left to individual civil servants — it is a problem the organization must take responsibility for together, and the unseen effort of covering for colleagues deserves proper recognition," Seodaemun-gu District Mayor Park Un-gi said. "An environment where employees are treated with respect will ultimately translate into better administrative services for residents."
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