Busan is good

Busan’s Outstanding Public Official Recognized with Government Award for Exemplary Active Administration

내용

The Busan Metropolitan City Government (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that Mr. Kim Dong-gon, an officer of the city government, was awarded the Okjo Medal of the Order of Service Merit at the 5th Government Award Ceremony for Exemplary Active Administration, co-hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management.

• ●The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management selected 16 individuals, including central and local government officials as well as employees of public and local public institutions, who achieved exemplary outcomes through active administration. A Busan City official was among the awardees.

• ●The award ceremony was held yesterday (May 21) at 2:00 PM at the Government Complex Seoul.

<Overview of the “Government Awards for Exemplary Active Administration”>

• ●Eligible Candidates: Public officials and employees of public institutions who achieved outstanding results through active administration

• ●Date/Venue: May 21, 2025 (Wednesday), 14:00–14:25 / Government Complex Seoul

• ●Hosted by: Ministry of the Interior and Safety (for local governments and local public institutions) and Ministry of Personnel Management (for central and public institutions)

• ●Participants: Acting Minister, Minister of Personnel Management, Director-General of Planning and Coordination at MOIS, and 11 key awardees

• ●Awardees: Total of 8 individuals (1 Green Stripes Order of Service Merit, 1 Okjo Order of Service Merit, 3 Order of Merit for Service, 3 Presidential Citations)

Mr. Kim, who had already been selected as an outstanding public official for active administration in the first half of 2024, developed a new collection method by seizing approximately 4 billion KRW worth of convertible bonds from a high-debt delinquent taxpayer who had concealed assets—marking the first such action in the nation. His successful collection of 200 million KRW in back taxes and continued commitment to active administration throughout his career earned him the government award.

• ●His achievements also contributed to the city winning the Minister’s Award from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the 2024 National Best Practices Contest for Active Administration, through this case and the introduction of an anonymous prepaid card and voucher conversion system.

• ●In addition to these efforts, he pursued a lawsuit to nullify fraudulent transfers (worth approximately 700 million KRW) against a corporation that established a paper company to avoid asset seizure, and promoted entry bans for foreign nationals operating Korean corporations with unpaid taxes (approx. 2 billion KRW).

The city will promote his model case to foster a proactive administrative culture and will continue to discover and share outstanding practices of active administration to further spread this approach.

Mr. Lee Kyung-duk, Director of Planning for the City of Busan, stated,
“Active administration is a key driver for creating a rewarding public service culture and improving citizens’ quality of life. We ask for continued interest and participation from citizens to ensure that active administration can become something they truly experience.”