Hwaseong Special City's 4 General Districts Era On-the-ground Administrative Services for Citizens' Daily Lives in Full Swing

[Suwon Ilbo=Park Chan-hyeok Reporter] Hwaseong Special City is launching comprehensive administrative services closely aligned with citizens' daily lives in conjunction with the establishment of four general districts scheduled to open in February next year.

The establishment of these general districts marks the starting point for region-based customized administration, a long-standing wish of citizens over the past 15 years. Major administrative duties in sports, cultural content, and environmental sectors will be substantially transferred from city hall-centered operations to district office-centered operations. As a result, citizens will be able to receive various civil service inquiries more quickly and conveniently in closer proximity.

■ Hygiene Permits Distributed to District Offices…Accessibility & Administrative Efficiency ↑

The Environmental Department will transfer hygiene policy operations including △food and public health business permits (currently 23,278 establishments) △barber and chef license management △children's food safety protection zone management to the district offices. Administrative procedures that previously required direct visits to city hall or branch offices can now be processed promptly at nearby district offices within citizens' living areas, greatly improving citizen accessibility and civil service processing efficiency.

Additionally, city hall will handle long-term strategic planning functions such as carbon neutrality plan establishment, while district offices will undertake implementation-focused administration tailored to local characteristics, clarifying the division of functions between policy and execution.

■ Cultural Content Administration Also More Expedited at District Offices

The Department of Culture and Arts will transfer civil service processing authority for △permits △changes △closures across the cultural content industry including film, gaming, music, and publishing to the district offices. In particular, when civil service inquiries related to businesses closely connected to citizens' daily lives such as karaoke establishments, video viewing rooms, and internet game facilities are handled at district offices, inconvenience for industry practitioners will be significantly reduced, and supervision and guidance of establishments will become more feasible.

■ Sports Facilities and Community Sports Available One-Stop in Your Neighborhood

The Department of Sports Promotion will delegate △registered sports facility business permits (currently 1,481 establishments) and safety inspections △outdoor sports facility operation and maintenance △community sports programs and various sports event management authority to each district office. Consequently, citizens will be able to use various services including civil service inquiries related to sports facilities, safety inspection requests, and program participation through district offices within their living areas on a one-stop basis, with on-site response speed and satisfaction also expected to improve significantly.

Mayor Jung Myeong-geun stated, "This expansion of district office functions is the beginning of realizing on-the-ground administrative services that citizens can genuinely feel," and added, "We will do our best to ensure this leads to administrative innovation that changes citizens' lives, going beyond mere transfer of authority."