Gyeonggi Province Selects Outstanding Civil Servants

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 16th that it has confirmed four civil servants as this year's recipients of the 14th Gyeonggi Civil Servant Award: Lee Sung-chul, a secretary from the Tax and Accounting Division of Yeoncheon County; Baek Young-hyun, an official from the Hantan River Tourism Support Division of Pocheon City; Jeong Yun-kyung, an agricultural researcher from the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural Technology Institute; and Kim Sang-hyun, a fire chief from the Disaster Response Division of the Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters.

Established in 1999 and now in its 14th year, the Gyeonggi Civil Servant Award is presented to civil servants in grades 5 and below who serve as exemplary models in both public and private life. The award is considered the most prestigious honor that a Gyeonggi Province civil servant can receive.

In the research and guidance category, Jeong Yun-kyung, an agricultural researcher from the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural Technology Institute known as the "chrysanthemum expert," was selected. Since 2005, Jeong has developed 18 new varieties of chrysanthemums and distributed over 7 million seedlings to farms. Through the development of new varieties, Researcher Jeong has achieved royalty savings of over 140 million won.

In the administration category, Lee Sung-chul, a secretary from the Tax and Accounting Division of Yeoncheon County, was selected for the award in recognition of discovering new tax revenues through the "value-added tax refund project" initiative, achieving 3.6 billion won in tax revenue increases.

In the technology and skills category, Baek Young-hyun, an official from the Hantan River Tourism Support Division of Pocheon City, was selected for establishing a specialized industrial complex for textiles and furniture in Hansen Village, which previously faced continuous civil complaints due to environmental issues. Baek also contributed to establishing the foundation for tourism and leisure projects in U.S. military-provided areas, the opening of private expressways, and the attraction of the Pocheon Railway.

In the fire and disaster prevention category, Kim Sang-hyun, a fire chief from the Disaster Response Division of the Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters, was selected. Working as a fire investigation expert, Kim has greatly contributed to the advancement of fire investigation. Outside of official duties, Chief Kim is renowned as an exemplary civil servant, having rescued an intoxicated person who fell onto railway tracks after work and apprehended a robbery suspect who invaded a pharmacy near Uijeongbu Ganeung Station.

Gyeonggi Province selected the four outstanding civil servants through a rigorous five-stage verification process, including candidate application and document review in October, verification by citizens through internet homepage posting of candidates' personal and professional information, and deliberation by the Gyeonggi Province Public Service Review Committee.