Han Dae-hee, the mayor of Gunpo, emphasized on September 21 that "respect and consideration are the starting points of citizen administration."
During a training session for senior officials at the city hall annex, he expressed this view while conducting the "2026 Training on Preventing Abuse of Power and Workplace Harassment" for officials ranked at level 5 and above.
Mayor Han is leading the initiative to create a horizontal organizational culture, starting with senior officials.
The training was designed to bridge the generational gap among organizational members and to foster a healthy public service culture based on mutual respect and communication.
Importantly, the focus was not only on punishing abusive behavior but also on encouraging senior officials to lead by example and practice leadership that fosters empathy and communication with staff.
In his remarks, Mayor Han reiterated the importance of "leadership based on respect and consideration."
He stated, "When the attitude towards colleagues is filled with respect and consideration, only then can we achieve genuine administration for the citizens," highlighting that internal communication and trust within the organization lead to better public service.
Mayor Han also addressed the differences in perceptions across generations.
He noted, "With the recent hiring of new employees from the 2000s, behaviors that were not problematic in the past may now be perceived differently," and emphasized the need for wisdom in understanding each other's differences and being more mindful of our words and actions.
He added, "A kind word and small consideration from each senior official can be a great source of strength for colleagues," urging everyone to work together to create a workplace where commuting is enjoyable.
The mayor's message signifies that preventing abuse of power is not merely an organizational management issue but a matter of administrative innovation that begins with the daily actions and words of officials and improving organizational culture.
The training was led by Moon Yang-geun, a registered professional instructor from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's National Integrity Education Center.
Moon explained the concepts of abuse of power, workplace harassment, and provided real-life examples, conducting an interactive session using quizzes.
Among the attending senior officials, there was a shared understanding of the need to appreciate each other's perspectives across generations and ranks.
One participant remarked, "Even the same words can be interpreted differently depending on the generation and individual, which made me reconsider my approach," adding that there is a need to pay more attention to creating a culture that respects and listens to employees' opinions starting from the senior officials.
Participants voiced that "preventing abuse of power seems to start from the everyday words and actions towards employees rather than creating special guidelines," emphasizing the importance of fostering an environment where communication is encouraged and opinions can be shared freely during work processes.
Meanwhile, Mayor Han plans to use this training as a stepping stone for senior officials to practice respect and consideration first, and to strengthen trust and communication within the organization.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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