Suwon's 'Communication Box' Selected as Outstanding Case of Government Policy Implementation

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon's 'Communication Box,' the first to be introduced nationwide, has been selected as an outstanding case of government policy implementation.

The city presented the Communication Box case at the '2019 National Government Policy Implementation Excellence Competition for Local Governments' held on the 13th at the Local Government Talent Development Institute in Wanju County, North Jeolla Province, winning an encouragement award.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Local Government Talent Development Institute and Local Government Research Institute annually hold a competition for outstanding local government cases implementing the government's five major policy goals and 100 national policy tasks, seeking to expand successful cases nationwide. This year, six projects, including the Communication Box, were selected as outstanding cases out of 104 nationwide projects.

Introduced by the city in 2017, the Communication Box plays a significant role in reflecting citizen opinions in city administration. Operating as a 'visiting citizen participation platform,' it is deployed at project sites with high citizen interest, those involving complex stakeholder interests, and at locations where policies and projects directly affect citizens' lives. It is a container-type on-site communication platform.

Citizens wishing to share opinions can visit the Communication Box to hear project explanations, participate in surveys, or write their opinions on notes to post on bulletin boards. Communication activists stationed at the Communication Box provide detailed information about projects, and citizens can also view project-related materials.

The city first opened a Communication Box in October-November 2017 at the Gosaeok Station Suinseong Construction site to gather citizen opinions on 'utilization plans for the unused area above Gosaeok Station.' From April to July 2018, it opened the second Communication Box on Jangdari-gil in Ingye-dong, hearing voices from local residents about the Jangdari-gil Urban Vitalization Project.

From October to November that year, it operated the third Communication Box near Haenggung Plaza, gathering citizen opinions on 'Suwon Public Transportation Exclusive District and Tram Introduction.' From March to May this year, it opened the fourth Communication Box at the Ilwol Park Plaza to hear citizen opinions on the direction of 'Suwon Arboretum' development.

Currently, it operates the fifth Communication Box near Haenggung Plaza, gathering citizen opinions on the 'Smart City Demonstration Project.' Operations continue through the 30th of this month.

The five Communication Boxes have collected a total of 3,469 citizen opinions to date. The city actively reflects the received opinions in project implementation and policy formulation.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to incorporate the outstanding cases selected in the competition into the Local Government Talent Development Institute's training programs and research projects of the Local Government Research Institute to inform local governments nationwide.

A city official stated, "Our city's administrative philosophy of 'Government of the Citizens' shares much common ground with the Moon Jae-in government's national indicator of 'Government where the people are the masters,'" and added, "We hope that the Communication Box, a representative citizen communication policy, will expand nationwide."