Gijang County Officials Think Outside the Box... Recover KRW 34 Million in Welfare Funds and Resolve Local Issues

Top Case: Senior and Disability Welfare Division's "Preventing Financial Leakage in Long-Distance Transportation Subsidies for Disability Activity Support"

Gijang County officials achieved results through proactive administration in areas closely tied to residents' daily lives, including preventing welfare budget leakage and addressing local issues.

Gijang County (County Governor Woo Seong-bin) said on November 12 that it had recently held the Third Proactive Administration Committee meeting of 2026 and finalized its selection of six outstanding proactive administration cases from the first half of the year.

The initiative sought to identify cases that improved convenience for county residents and helped reduce spending through creativity and expertise, and to spread a culture of proactive administration throughout the public sector. After evaluating the impact on residents, officials' initiative and creativity, and the difficulty of each task, the county selected one top case, one outstanding case, and four commendable cases.

The top case was the Senior and Disability Welfare Division's "Preventing Financial Leakage in Long-Distance Transportation Subsidies for Disability Activity Support." To verify transportation subsidy payments to activity support workers employed by agencies based in other districts, the county cross-checked five years of electronic records for 1,068 people. It recovered the full amount of approximately KRW 34 million that had been improperly paid and addressed a blind spot in preventing welfare budget leakage.

Other cases selected as outstanding included the Public Relations and Sports Division's "Reviving Gijang Ssireum After 15 Years by Securing KRW 700 Million in Annual City Funding" and the Nuclear Power Policy Division's "Attracting an Innovative Small Modular Reactor (i-SMR) on the County's Own Initiative Through a Tailored Attraction Strategy and Communication with Residents."

The Marine and Fisheries Division moved forward with relocating the anchovy street vendors at Daebyeon Port by switching to a temporary stall installation plan when a KRW 3.5 billion marine life facility project was at risk of falling through. The Agricultural Technology Center cut project costs by 50% by creating a scenic landscape on unused land in the pottery village and using low-maintenance planting methods. The Fisheries Resources Research Center was recognized for improving fishing conditions by resolving restrictions related to the anchovy fishing ban.

Gijang County Governor Woo Seong-bin said, "I thank the employees for their hard work in finding ways to serve county residents without being bound by established practices or institutional limitations. We will continue to foster a culture of proactive administration in the public sector and bring about changes that residents can feel in their daily lives."

The county plans to provide the six selected outstanding public officials with incentives based on their evaluation ratings, including the highest performance bonus rating, additional points in performance evaluations, one to three days of special leave, and cash awards.

Gijang County Office

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