Kim Young-soon, head
of Songpa Ward Office |
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
What is the recipe for the success of a local government?
Ask this question to Kim Young-soon, head of Songpa Ward Office in Seoul, and she answers simply: ``Treating residents not just as beneficiaries but as partners.''
Songpa, the southeastern ward in Seoul, is writing a new chapter in city administration history by putting this simple yet powerful theory into practice.
As a result, Songpa was selected last month by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as the second best town in the world with regard to practices in the management of the local environment, earning a ``LivCom Award.'' This was the first achievement of its kind by a local Korean government.
With China's Shilong selected as winner this year, Songpa outdid other international rivals with populations of between 200,000 and 750,000 in six assessment categories ― enhancement of the landscape, heritage management, community sustainability, environmentally sensitive practices, healthy life styles, and planning for the future.
``The participatory administration is our driving force to become better in everything to make our ward a better place to live in and to do business in,'' Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times at her office, Monday. ``Unlike our main rival in China, we set out to win the prize with virtually no support from the central government, proving citizens' participation was more powerful and efficient than state support.''
Drawing voluntary participation in local administration was tough in reality, the 59-year-old said.
``People's lack of self-esteem in being a member of Songpa was a major hurdle,'' she said. ``Our priority was coming up with ways to make them have pride in living here.''
Despite its abundant cultural heritage, clean environment, geological closeness to the Han River, Songpa has been, until recently, considered less developed than two neighboring areas ― Gangnam and Seocho ― on the list of best places to live.
``This is not the case any longer, Kim stressed. ``The international community recognized our superiority.''
Historically, Songpa is where the capital of the Baekje kingdom was located nearly 2,000 years ago. Dozens of heritage sites from the era still remain. Also, Songpa was the main venue for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Once motivated, people participated in a wide range of community activities such as planting trees in their leisure time and even treated public facilities as their own property, Kim said.
``Songpa is the only district in Korea with both historical and contemporary heritage. These have played a key role in enhancing the people's self-esteem. Citizens here voluntarily seek out and cooperate with the office for development and better living conditions,'' Kim said. "Falling behind our rivals is a thing of the past. We have become the No.1 place to live in here and will strive for even greater things in the future.''
A recent survey found nearly 98 percent of people in Songpa are satisfied with their life in the town and its administration and have no plan to move in the future, indicating residence's satisfaction is higher than ever.
The district recently formed partnerships with Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, in the United States, and Christchurch, a garden city in New Zealand to share advanced management systems.
Songpa, one of the commuter zones encircling Seoul, is also gearing up to build up business areas specializing in information, nano and bio technologies, a plan aimed at making it a self-sufficient district with a self-financing budget.
``We are ready to nurture these industries, providing a rich cultural and entertaining infrastructure ― something that is essential to maintain and boost creativity of those engaging in the field.''
pss@koreatimes.co.kr
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