KLFA helps local autonomy units by offering various services and aids

THE Korea Local Finance Association (KLFA) is Korea’s only mutual-aid organization whose members are local autonomy units. Its main areas of businesses are the recovery of disaster-stricken assets of its members, to repair and improve public offices, to use mutual aid for members’ compensation, to manage out of home media and to research the finances of local governments.

Mutual aid service is the main business of the KLFA, and it has offered this service since 1964, the year of its establishment. Via this system, the KLFA can give more favorable financial aid to local governments when they suffer disasters. Therefore, local governments can better recover from disasters. Members’ fees are used as funds for recovery work and the remaining money kept as a reserve.

More and more local municipalities are needing new office buildings or want to expand, but do not have sufficient funds. Thus, since 1983, the KLFA has raised funds under the goal of helping one another, financially helping local municipalities build new offices or expand existing ones. Since 1994, the KLFA has operated a mutual aid service for local public vessels as part of anti-disaster measures. This program contributes to the sound management of local finance via the efficient management of local public vessels

The KLFA also covers any damages caused by local autonomy units. Furthermore, the KLFA compensates people who financially suffer due to the carelessness or mistakes of employees of local municipalities. The KLFA also helps local governments with financial management by offering research materials to improve and manage local tax and financial systems and to help local public servants work more efficiently.

The KLFA also publishes free books for local public servants to promote talent development. In May, the Out of Home Media Center of Korea opened its official site (www.ooh.or.kr) on the Internet. Visitors to the site can check a wide array of information such as the KLFA’s out of home media business, ad design guidelines, policy and education, trends in domestic and foreign out of home media, statistics and newsletters. The center is planning to provide a new service through which people can check out of home media spots in a map. The web site is expected to play a role of a communication channel to collect opinions and share information with people.

In early September, the KLFA held the 2009 Management Strategy Workshop under the theme of “Low-Carbon Green Growth and KLFA Vision 2020” in Chuncheon of Gangwon Province. All KLFA employees took part in the workshop which consisted of special lectures, presentation of excellent suggestions for Green KLFA and successful management cases, a ceremony to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the KLFA, a visit to a literary museum and a rally for the unity among all KLFA employees.

Kim Kook-hyun, chairman of the KLFA, praised employees for their good performances for the KLFA in a speech to announce the start of the workshop. Kim asked employees to activate their organization, develop their capabilities while paying more attention to maintaining the KLFA as the finest mutual-aid organization. “I want to express my gratitude for employees’ efforts on the 45th anniversary day,” Kim said. “But we have to cope with changes to achieve a higher goal.”

In the workshop, the Mutual-Aid Business Department and the Advertisement Business Department presented “Overcoming Difficulties in Mutual Services for Groups” and “Production of Manual on Out of Home Media” as excellent business practice cases, respectively. On the other hand, the Policy Research Office explained about “Summary Service on Out of Home Media Theses” while the Strategy Planning Office about “Establishment of Creative Organizational Culture via TIP Leaders and Book Club Activities. Employees presented and discussed introduction of RFID to manage articles and a netporter system for out of home media and compensation systems for employees’ high performances.

KLFA employees have been conducting various social contribution activities. They formed the TIP Leaders Club. For example, in September, KLFA employees gave a helping hand to a grape farming village which suffered from a lack of hands. They even held a campaign to promote sales of grapes after cancellation of a grape promotion festival due to scared prevalence of a new influenza.

“We are pushing forward with KLFA Vision 2020 to bring innovation and change to the KLFA,” said Kim. “The vision aims to turn the KLFA into Korea’s best mutual-aid organization, and one that can realize three Hs; high creativity, high performance and high customer satisfaction.”

Kim suggested five goals for the development of the KLFA. The five goals are “the Best Mutual Aid Service,” “Advancement of Out of Home Media Business,” “Stable Asset Management,” “Establishment of Creative Organizational Culture” and “Maximization of Customer Satisfaction.” Kim picked trust, immersion and pride as the core values of his organization.

“We are also focusing on redefining the roles of the KLFA,” said Kim. “For example, we held an event to collect ideas and develop new projects in line with the government’s low carbon green growth policies.”

Kim believes that customer satisfaction comes from employee satisfaction. “Employees will only be happy when there is an improvement in their work capabilities and they receive better compensation,” Kim said. “Therefore, we support the activities of the TIP Leaders Club, a small voluntary social service club. Employees also launched a book club to strengthen their creativity and leadership. I broke down walls among departments to activate communication among them as well.” The KLFA also devises policies to create a better image among people and business ideas for local autonomy units.

Kim is confident that the KLFA will develop into a more active and efficient organization for local autonomy units. “I am trying to become a successful CEO who can pursue common good and help the KLFA create new value. I will do my best to achieve this goal,” Kim added.

Of late, Kim received a doctorate degree from Sung Kyun Kwan University. “I really like upgrading my experiences and knowledge via scientific approach methods by one level. I prepared my thesis on senior civil service to suggest better policy directions. “I have strongly believed that good human resources are one of the strong foundations for our organization. At the same time, our organization should deal with changes to further grow and prosper. In this context, I will put my utmost efforts into fulfilling my duties.” Kim concluded.

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