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Press Release
Government Complaints Counseling Center opened on October 23
- Date2019-11-08
- Hit883
“Government-related complaints to be counseled at one place at a time at Government Complaints Counseling Center opened on October 23”
- Complaints involving many government agencies will be handled at one place, and online counseling(www.counselling.go.kr) will be provided
- Comprehensive solution will be presented by identifying the cause of complaints, listening related government agencies, and receiving expert advice.
October 23, 2019
Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission
The Republic of Korea
Government Complaints Counseling Center (Complaint Center) has been opened at the Government Complex Seoul in Gwangwhamun, Seoul on October 23. At the Complaint Center, all government-related complaints will be counseled in one place at a time and provided with comprehensive resolution.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Pak Un Jong) held an opening event of the Complaint Center on October 23 with the presence of ACRC Chairperson Pak Un Jong, Minister of the Interior and Safety Chin Young, Head of Civil Society Organization of Presidential Secretariat Kim Geo-Sung at an annex building of Government Complex Seoul, Gwangwhamun. The Complaints Center had been operated on a pilot basis between the 1st and 22nd of October before its official launch of operation on the 23rd of October.
The former body of the Complaint Center, Seoul Government Complaints Center, was mainly operated for counseling on complaints on general matters. Citizens who want to consult on issues related to government agencies had to visit the government agencies in person. To remove such inconveniences, the ACRC expanded the Seoul Government Complaints Center to launched Government Complaints Counseling Center, providing counseling on government-related complaints as well as general civil complaints by investigators seconded by 10 government agencies.
The launch of the Complaints Center had been pursued by the ACRC and the Ministry of Interior and Safety as part of government innovation task, “Building One-Stop Government Complaints Center transcending all government agencies.”
Each government agency’s role and complaints-handling direction will be decided by Complaints Consultation Council which consists of public officials from related government agencies, conflict resolution experts in the private sector, and counselors of the Complaints Center.
| Matters subject to the discussion by the Complaints Consultation Council - Matters requiring multi-lateral cooperation by multiple government agencies to resolve complaints - Matters requiring selection of the government agency in charge of based on the complaint’s requirement - Matters whose handling agency is unclear due to unclear work area of the complaint - Matters requiring responsibility-sharing among the complaint handling agency and cooperative agencies |
In order to remove any barriers among government agencies and secure expertise in counseling, the Complaints Center received seconded counselors from various sectors such as government agencies, preferably by Ministries receiving many complaints, public organizations, the private sector, such as lawyers, labor attorneys, and conflict mediation experts.
This is to find solution to complaints in a comprehensive way based on the contents of complaints by public officials of relevant ministries and experts in the relevant field.
| Ministries (11): Ministry of Integrity and Safety, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Public organizations: Korea Consumer Agency, Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, Financial Supervisory Service Private Sector: lawyer, labor attorney, architect, appraisal attorney, accountant, claim adjuster, judicial scrivener, social service worker, retired public official (complaint counseling commissioner) |
In addition, going beyond simply giving answers to complaints, the Complaints Center will provide an enhanced counseling service with solution on complaints in a comprehensive way by identifying the cause of complaints, listening related government agencies, collecting expert advice in the related area.
To that end, the center will use video counseling system linked to each government agency and if necessary, hold a trilateral video counseling between public officials, complainant, and counselor.
Various channel for applying for counseling and receiving answers is made such as through the Complaints Center website (www.counseling.go.kr).
Seoul Government Complaints Center so far had provided telephone and office counseling, not online counseling.
The Complaints Center, along with the online counseling service, installed an automated certificate-issuing machine to issue copies of 88 types of civil certificates, including family relation certificate, providing convenience for citizens visiting the center. 137 types of civil s, such as university graduation certificate, will also be issued at the center.
ACRC Chairperson Pak Un Jong said, “The Government Complaints Counseling Center is the result of expanded cooperation and governmental collaboration strongly aspired under the spirit of the times. The Complaints Center will provide comprehensive counseling service on complaints whose handling agency is unclear or which involves many government agencies to suggest ways for resolving complaints, and thereby remove inconveniences for citizens who had to visit many government agencies in person.”
