Over 26-year career, man of many ideas wins props from city

Im Hong-sun

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong ― Im Hong-sun, a planning head at Cheonan City Hall, has many “lightbulb moments” every day.
Im, 49, is usually in the office by 7:50 a.m., an hour before work officially starts. He uses this hour to think up solutions to public grievances that flood into his office daily.
This is his 26th year as a public servant. In that time he has received more than 20 awards for his ideas.
Last year, people in Im’s town complained that placards for candidates littered the street for too long after election season. Im suggested that old placards be recycled. He received a best invention award from the Ministry of Planning and Budget.
In 2001, Im received a prime minister’s invention award for thinking up a faster way to retrieve lost resident registration cards. In the past, when strangers found lost cards, they were instructed to put them into a mailbox.
This system took about a week to return the card. Im thought this was inconvenient and suggested that cards be delivered to town or district offices. There, employees notified the holders immediately. As a result, people found their cards faster.
“When I hear a public complaint, I think about how I can help,” Im explained. “Good ideas just come to me.”

By Seo Hyung-sik JoongAng Ilbo [mina@joongang.co.kr]