Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is continuing outreach efforts.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the Minister held back-to-back town hall meetings at the Government Complex Sejong over two days on May 29 and June 1 with executives and employees from affiliated agencies and headquarters.
This second session, following the first gathering in March, was organized to look into work environments tailored to each organization's characteristics and to have an in-depth discussion on healthy communication methods and organizational culture.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has carried out several innovation tasks based on ideas raised at the first town hall meeting, and at this session participants shared the results. Representative changes include introducing a "note report" system that quickly shares key pending issues by breaking away from formalistic formats; improving response methods to the National Assembly, such as making waiting times for Assembly questionnaires transparent; minimizing the drafting of unnecessary protocol documents; and expanding opportunities for rest and communication for employees.
At the meeting with affiliated agencies held on May 29, about 200 employees from 13 regional offices and affiliated agencies responsible for public services in the field, such as roads, rail, and construction safety, took part. Field workers spoke candidly about practical difficulties at work, including a shortage of lodging when assigned to regional posts, declining morale due to stalled promotions, and the need to bolster essential personnel such as air traffic control.
Next, at the headquarters town hall meeting held the same day, participants examined the path forward for the core organization that plans and coordinates policy. There, the Minister and employees agreed that, to innovate organizational culture, senior-level staff must take the lead, set an example, and act with accountability.
The Minister said, "Organizational culture does not change overnight; it can change when small acts by members accumulate," adding, "When both headquarters and the field fulfill their responsibilities in their respective positions and understand one another, the organization can change in a healthy way."
The Minister added a promise to "create an environment where employees can work for a long time and with a sense of purpose, as affiliated agencies are the very frontline where the public experiences administration."
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to speed up efforts to build a field-centered workplace and improve working conditions by adding new innovation tasks based on the opinions collected at this town hall meeting.