Governor Nam Kyung-pil holds ‘What We Want from the Governor in 2015’ meeting on January 14
Attention given to difficulties faced by dual-career families, immigrant women, and more  

◇ On January 14, Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil met with 10 invited residents who represent all walks of life for a meeting titled ‘What We Want from the Governor.’
 
“I want to be a proud mom, not a mom who feels guilty.”

“I wish there was no prejudice or bias against multicultural families.”

For the New Year, Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil made time to explain provincial policies and to listen to the difficulties faced by provincial residents.

Governor Nam Kyung-pil invited 10 provincial residents from all walks of life to his office for a 2-hour meeting titled ‘What We Want from the Governor in 2015’ from 2:00 pm on January 14.

At the meeting that day, the hardships of life and suggestions to the province were made by ordinary residents of Gyeonggi Province, including an elementary school parent, a working couple, a job applicant, an employee in the IT industry, a merchant in a traditional market, a immigrant woman, a female village bus driver, a farmer from the border area, and college students who commute to school in Seoul.

Jeong Yun-hee, a working mother of two children, said, “I have to rush the children to school, so I can get to work in time. I wish that nursery facilities were well established so that working moms can drop off their children and go to work without difficulties.”

“Last year when my first child started elementary school, I took maternity leave for 6 months. My child’s response is quite different from before and after that time. It is not always easy to ask for help from my mother or husband whenever something happens to the children. It is often difficult to ask for a favor at the work place. I cannot quit my job, and I feel guilty for the children,” she added.

Governor Nam suggested a solution through the Ttabok Village system, saying, “It is now possible to change the use of pilotis area in an apartment building because of a reform proposed by Gyeonggi Province. It would be the best for mothers if nursery facilities are set up near their houses.”

“Mothers in one apartment complex in Suwon City renovated a basement storage room into a study room, and invited high school and college students as teachers. It was quite popular. Fathers also helped in building traditional village communities by walking children to school, shoveling snow, and more. We will try to address the low birth rate by alleviating the childcare burden through the Ttabok Village system, and many other projects,” added Governor Nam.

Since 2010, Gyeonggi Province has undertaken family-friendly workplace consulting projects and a family-friendly workplace certification project in order to help workers balance career and family roles. The province will expand its consulting efforts to take a leading role in creating family-friendly workplaces going forward. 

◇ Governor Nam and participants of the meeting display sketchbooks upon which their wishes are written. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yu Je-hun

Han Cho-won, a marriage immigrant from Vietnam , said, “I feel uncomfortable about the word ‘multi-cultural’ because many think all multicultural families are in need, and some have condescending attitudes. Multi-cultural means various cultures. All families in Korea, therefore, are multicultural families in that each family has its own unique culture.”

“Even though my family receives no special support, we’re hated sometimes just because public tax revenue is used to help multicultural families. Please help marriage immigrants adjust to their new lives,” she added.

Governor Nam responded by saying, “I’ve been proud of all the multicultural policies so far, but I just realized that such policies can also cause discrimination. Unless our society accepts and appreciates diversity, it will be difficult to overcome social issues such as low birthrates, an  aging population, and economic recession. We will make an effort to change the perception about multicultural families.”

At the meeting on that day, a number of suggestions were made, including: support for early morning and after school activities for students as well as the renovation of school facilities; promotion for the job information sites of public organizations; establishing organizations specializing in job placement for retirees in their 40s and 50s; support for single employees who are past the optimal age to marry; expansion of high-end businesses and revitalization of traditional markets in Gyeonggi Province; increasing the number of female bus drivers; promotion of the cultivation of beans and various grains in the northern regions and other proactive agricultural policies; and increasing the number of intercity buses.

Governor Nam Kyung-pil said, “We’ve been holding conferences about policies in recent days, and I will make sure that your opinions are taken into account in shaping provincial policies. What is the most important is to deliver practical benefits to those who need them. We will work hard to come up with solutions that are right for residents through surveys and data analyses.”

Governor Nam has focused on collecting opinions from societal segements through various means, including visiting 23 chambers of commerce and industry in Gyeonggi Province, meeting business people and entrepreneurs, and holding marathon meetings with experts and the front line managers for this year’s 34 major projects during the month of January.
 
ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Lee Jun-gyun eyekle@hanmail.net