Yeongdeungpo Presents Public Project
Quality Management OK System to ASPA

Mayor Kim speaks about the correlation between transparency and corruption in the development of the system

The Yeongdeungpo Ward Office in Seoul presented a paper on making public services transparent and free from corruption to the 68th annual forum of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) held in Dallas, Texas on March 11.
The thesis put before about 1,500 prestigious academicians from around the world focused on the impact on the prevention of corruption through applying the "Public Project Quality Management OK System,"developed by the ward office in 2006, and the correlation between transparency and corruption.
In cooperation with Joongang University, the ward office conducted the joint study, titled "Does the Public Project Quality Management OK System have an impact on the prevention of corruption's If so, how much's What role does the system play between transparency and corruption's The study concluded that the OK System has a great impact on identifying and preventing wrongdoings in the execution of public projects.
Yeongdeungpo Mayor Kim Hyong-soo delivered a speech during the presentation explaining the background and process of developing the OK System. "The system is effective in nipping in the bud the causes of corruption by publicly disclosing all processes of public projects ranging from design to follow-up management. It is designed not only to prevent decades-long substandard construction of public projects, but also to transform the attitudes of officials in charge of public projects and other related people."Mayor Kim stressed that the dissemination of the system will contribute to transforming Korea by securing transparency and trust across society.
Established in 1939, the ASPA is one of the world's most prestigious forums on training, networking, exchanging ideas and learning about current practices in the field of public administration among government officials, employees, scholars, practitioners and professionals.
In 2006, the Yeongdeungpo Ward Office developed the Public Project Quality Management OK System, not only for the purpose of eradicating slipshod construction of public projects, but also to ensure their transparent management, thus enhancing the quality of public projects.
All processes ranging from the initial planning stage, design, construction and completion to follow-up management are managed via database. The progress of each construction site is made known to the public in real time via the Internet. High-performance Web cameras installed at each construction site with 200x zoom functions and 360-degree rotating ability will show the details of each site. The system gives any resident the opportunity to not only participate in the execution of public projects, but also to conduct inspections and surveillance by giving them information concerning construction sites at any time, from any place, and allowing them to present their opinions.
The system has earned a reputation in Korea and abroad by twice winning the presidential award on government innovation brands and by passing the second round of the UN Public Services Awards Nomination. The Yeongdeungpo Ward Office became the first local government body to give a briefing on the proficiency of the system to the Korean cabinet.
About 120 public organizations, including central government agencies, have made observation tours in order to benchmark the system while five other localities, including Gwangyang, Pohang City, Yeosu City and Wanju authorities, have introduced it.
The system was presented to the 2nd UCLG World Congress held in Jeju last October and was rated an excellent practice by about 200 foreign institutions, from countries including Japan, France and Romania. A group of 15 ranking Egyptian officials made an observation tour of the Yeongdeungpo Ward Office to learn about the development of the system. nw

Yeongdeungpo Mayor Kim Hyong-soo presents a paper on making public services transparent and free from corruption to the 68th annual forum of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) held in Dallas, Texas on March 11.