Gyeonggi Province received the highest marks for two years in a row in a joint evaluation of provincial and municipal governments conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and other government agencies, the province said Wednesday.

The evaluation assessed the quality of administrative services provided by each district governments in such areas as general administration, social welfare, health and hygiene, regional economy, culture and family affairs, safety management and environment and forest. 

The province received full marks on eight out of nine assessment criteria, placing it above other cities and provinces for a second year.

“The result of this year’s joint assessment is a proof that Gyeonggi offers the best administrative services to citizens,” Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil said.

“The achievement was also made possible by aiming to make Gyeonggi a happier place to live in through efforts to communicate and collaborate with neighboring local councils and districts,” he added.

Since last year’s assessment, the province has made specific efforts to make improvements in areas with low scores, the governor stressed. They include health and hygiene, environment and safety managements.

In particular, Gyeonggi’s effective waste management program has led to improvements in the environmental field, with a twofold increase in the per-capita recyclable waste collection last year.

In the health and hygiene sector, the province also received improved scores in safety monitoring of cosmetics and medical products.

The storm and flood insurance rates in the province also jumped 40 percent compared with a previous year as part of its campaign to better prepare for natural disasters.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)