A growing number of government organizations in Korea are actively engaging in SNS (social networking services) in order to build effective communication channels with the public.
Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries both run official Twitter accounts and have more than 30,000 followers. Other government organizations like the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and the Ministry of Unification also provide communication services through social media services in order to quickly and correctly provide information on government policies that reinforce the trust-based relationship of citizens and the government.
These days, social network media has become a must-have communication strategy for the public sector. (Left: Government organizations are now actively using social media to promote their policies and engage in communication with ordinary users.)
According to a recent customer survey conducted by Estorylab (a research institute on social media and web service strategies in Korea) 48 percent of survey recipients stated they use Twitter to maintain their human network while 22 percent said they use Twitter enabled government organizations to receive and share information. In addition, 48 percent of the respondents said they agree with company and public organizations’ participation in Twitter communications while 21 percent of them said they strongly agree.
The survey result shows that many people are favorable to the public sector’s participation in social media channels. People are now building a new relationship based on satisfaction and trust with public organizations by asking questions and receiving feedback.
For this reason, many public organizations create their Twitter accounts to deliver policy information and listen to the opinions of the ordinary users. Among these organizations, some have well-built Twitter accounts with thousands of followers.
Recently, in its December edition, the public relations magazine “The PR” selected a few government institutions from among 40 Korean public organizations that have successfully promoted their policies through social media. The magazine chose Statistics Korea as the winner of the SNS and online promotion sectors after it conducted an online survey of census this year that received a higher than expected 47.9 percent participation rate from the public. This is the highest participation in an online census in the world, surpassing that of Canada’s 18.5 percent.
Statistics Korea also used various research data to increase youth participation. It created applications for smart phones by using its statistical data and has been regularly providing information based on acquired statistics by asking Twitter users questions like “How much monthly income is necessary to satisfy you?”
Other winners the magazine’ picked in the SNS promotion sector include the Land Ministry which runs an official Twitter service and use other related social media channels to promote government policies like national transport information, housing, and the Four Rivers Restoration Project.
The magazine also picked Cheong Wa Dae for its efforts to create a online spokesperson position and to actively engage in communication with the public through the Internet and social media channels. Opened in June 2011, its official Twitter has more than 39,000 followers, the highest number of followers among government agencies in Korea. (Right: Cheong Wa Dae has nearly 40,000 followers on Twitter.)
Central government organizations as well as local governments actively participate in communications through social media channels. Leading local governments in online and social media communication include the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Daejeon Metropolitan Government, and Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province).
According to a customer satisfaction survey conducted by the Korea Internet Communication Association last month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government ranked first in Internet and social media communications.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Government also actively uses social media. It listens to the opinions of citizens who write their opinions about government policy on the city’s official Twitter. The city reflects these ideas to improve its administration. It also organized “Daejeon dream supporters” composed of 20 Twitter users who have more than 300 followers, and works with them to better deliver and improve the city’s administrative policy.
South Chungcheong Province also runs an official Twitter that has more than 20,000 followers.
To strengthen communication through social media in the public sector, the Korean government has recently opened a special education program for public officers. This program aims to advance the government’s public services by carrying out two-way communication between the government and citizens, according to the Central Officials Training Institute.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
