Goyang Special City (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) established a communication and coordination officer directly under the mayor in July of last year and organized a conflict management team within the department. Based on the establishment of a group grievance index management plan, the city is focusing on resolving conflicts by reviewing group grievances from various angles, such as strengthening on-site investigations and citizen participation, and conducting consulting and education for resolving public conflicts.
Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Dong-hwan said at a group civil complaint report meeting held in July, “We will continue to manage group civil complaints efficiently and revitalize communication channels such as holding annual intensive report meetings.” He added, “We will listen to citizens’ voices and deeply consider alternatives and second-best measures so that we can quickly resolve various conflicts.”
77% of group complaints are focused on construction and transportation sectors… Resolving inconveniences for residents, such as road construction
Group complaints are complaints submitted by more than five people, related to the interests of more than five generations, and are managed separately by the city. By sector, construction and transportation are the most with 268 cases (77%), followed by environment and economy with 49 cases (14.1%), planning and administration with 16 cases (4.6%), and culture and welfare with 15 cases (4.3%). As of June, Goyang City in the 8th local government has mediated and resolved 185 out of a total of 348 group complaints (agreement rate of 53.2%), and as reasonable solutions are sought, long-term unresolved issues are also making progress.
‘Jungro 2-178 (Ogeum 3-ro)’ is a road that is regularly used by 2,500 households living in a housing complex in Ogeum-dong. Compared to the increased traffic volume, the existing road and sidewalk are narrow, so 2,632 complaints were received in November last year. The city held a meeting with residents to listen to their opinions, and in June, it announced the implementation plan (change) approval for a 15m wide road, and on the 13th, it announced the implementation plan (change) approval that reflects the results of the segmented survey. Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) plans to start negotiations for compensation for losses, and aims to complete it by the second half of the year and start construction within the year.
The construction of the Sinwon-dong Mulguri ‘Soro 3-512’ road began in 2019 with the holding of a detailed design service and a resident briefing session. In October of last year, a group petition was filed requesting an early start of the road construction, and despite the difficult financial conditions, the city invested approximately 1.67 billion won to complete land compensation for 26 out of 46 lots. The road is scheduled to begin construction in 2025 after securing the remaining project funds through the resident support project (national funds).
In addition, the opening of the Daedeok Village ‘Soro 1-114 Line’ requested by 167 Deokgeun-dong residents in February 2022 was determined to be necessary due to the inconvenience of using the bypass road after review, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 as soon as the implementation plan is approved in September. In addition, regarding the request for the early opening of ‘Daero 3-2 Line, Road outside the Jichuk District’ received at the same time, consultations were concluded in January regarding facilities not reflected in the development restriction area management plan, and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) plans to begin construction of the connecting road between the Jichuk District – Ssari Village – Ipgok Intersection in September.
Small but certain actions such as creating a barefoot walking path are spreading… Neunggok District 3, Changneung District, etc. Urban planning group complaints are also concluded
Last June, a barefoot walking trail was created at Gunggol Park in Juyeop-dong, Ilsanseo-gu. Last August, a group petition was received asking for the existing walking trail to be turned into a dirt road, and the city confirmed that a dirt road had been naturally created by many residents walking along the edge of the park’s green zone. The city collected residents’ opinions and began to improve the barefoot walking trail as a resident-requested project in this year’s budget. As a result, a 100m-long barefoot walking trail boundary tree was created at Gunggol Park in June, and environmental improvements such as the installation of chairs and planting of trees were also carried out.
The group petition regarding the ‘Request for the designation of the Neunggok 3 Preservation and Maintenance Zone as a Redevelopment Promotion Zone’ was concluded in July. The city commissioned a service for changing the Neunggok Redevelopment Promotion Plan in August of last year and sequentially conducted public notices, hearings of opinions from the council, and public hearings for residents. After a feasibility review by the Korea Real Estate Board in June and a deliberation by the Urban Redevelopment Committee in July, Neunggok 3 Zone was changed to a redevelopment promotion zone.
In addition, the collective petition against the relocation of hazardous facilities in Changneung District to Hyeoncheon District has also been finalized. Based on the collective petition received in September 2021, the city requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to reexamine the district plan reflecting the opinions of residents. With the approval of the Central Urban Planning Committee in June, the remaining companies, excluding the ready-mixed concrete plant, are currently in the process of relocation. The city plans to continue consultations with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) and local council members regarding the three ready-mixed concrete companies so that they can relocate to appropriate locations.
Strengthening capacity to respond to public conflicts such as group complaints… Strengthening consulting and staff training in conjunction with the Office for Government Policy Coordination
Goyang City is making efforts to proactively respond to public conflicts in the region and actively manage and resolve them. In March, it conducted consulting for resolving public conflicts such as group civil complaints, and received support such as 50% of national expenses subsidy and connection to the Dankook University Dispute Resolution Center, a conflict management specialist organization, through the Office for Government Policy Coordination’s conflict management support project.
The consulting was attended by 11 related departments, including the city’s information and communication officer, the architecture departments of the three districts, and the safety construction departments, and they received advice from conflict management experts on conflict management techniques based on understanding and responding to opposition complaints such as permits and licenses, and communication. They also learned about related laws and work procedures along with sharing cases from other local governments, thereby increasing their understanding and capacity for group complaints.
In addition, in April, conflict management training was conducted for employees in order to resolve group complaints in the conference room of the Baekseok Office Building. With 175 public officials from Goyang City in attendance, the training was conducted under the leadership of the Jeonbuk National University Public Conflict and Regional Innovation Research Institute and Professor Jeong Jeong-hwa of Kangwon National University’s Department of Public Administration, on the causes and diagnosis of public conflicts, and strengthening practical capabilities through case studies.
The city plans to continue consulting on conflict impact analysis and training for employees in conjunction with the Office for Government Policy Coordination in the second half of the year. It also plans to work with the Goyang Research Institute to develop a “Goyang-style public conflict management system establishment plan” and a “case-by-case public conflict management manual.”
Economy Queen Reporter Kim Hong-mi / Photo Goyang City
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2024-08-24 07:41:01