Xinhua Silk Road: Evaluation report highlights Seoul 120 hotline for its efficient operation

Seoul 120 hotline has contributed to efficient city operation, according to the Evaluation Report on Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness (2024) released on Wednesday.

Photo shows the consultation interface of the Seoul 120 hotline in Chinese.

The report, jointly released by the Xinhua Research Center for Digital Government and Institute for Digital Government and Governance of Tsinghua University at the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints, provides an in-depth evaluation based on four key indicators shared by city hotlines, namely process governance, collaborative governance, smart governance, and responsive governance, along with 10 secondary indicators and 24 tertiary indicators.

The successful development and operation of Seoul 120 hotline relies on collaborative governance by different parties, while its efficiency is underpinned by the integration of resources.

Facing with varied needs and situations, the Seoul 120 hotline offers a variety of channels, including phones, short messages, website, social media, and mobile app.

In addition, Seoul 120 hotline offers a unified service entry for the public, integrating 69 government information centers, and covering 41 government agencies such as the Seoul Global Center, the emergency medical information center, the Korea Tourism Organization, the immigration service, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Notably, in terms of collaborative governance, Seoul 120 hotline achieved full marks across the three secondary indicators namely policy collaboration, function coordination, and platform collaboration.

The Evaluation Report on Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness (2024) evaluated 20 representative cities worldwide, summarizing their operational models and best practices of city hotlines, and offering insights into the future trends of city hotlines across the world.