Lee Myung-bak, the architect of Seoul Forest, rallies behind Ko Jae-hyun — Seongdong's future
Former President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to Seoul Forest, a landmark of Seongdong-gu, Seoul, at 10 a.m. Sunday.
The visit was aimed at throwing his full weight behind People Power Party district mayor candidate Ko Jae-hyun, who has been gaining momentum in Seongdong-gu — a district that has emerged as one of the most fiercely contested battlegrounds in the local elections.
Lee held his joint campaign appearance at Seoul Forest itself — a park he personally conceived and completed during his tenure as Seoul mayor — in a direct bid to counter the narrative advanced by Jeong Won-o, the former Seongdong district mayor now running as the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, who has sought to claim credit for the district's development.
Lee's choice of Seoul Forest as his campaign venue carried pointed political symbolism. The park is widely regarded as the signature achievement of his time as Seoul mayor: he developed the former Ttukseom racetrack site with the declared ambition of creating "a world-class ecological park like New York's Central Park," and Seoul Forest opened in 2005. It remains one of Seoul's most prominent green spaces.
In the years since, Jeong and the Democratic Party have quietly framed the organic growth of Seongsu-dong and the vitality of Seoul Forest as achievements of their own making.
Ko said Lee's visit would serve as a powerful reminder to Seongdong residents of who truly laid the foundations for the district's development, and that it sent a clear message that voters would hold the ruling party accountable for resting on infrastructure built by others while claiming the credit.
<style ref="s0">PPP heavyweights converge on Seongdong in show of force for Ko Jae-hyun</style>
Even before Lee's appearance, senior People Power Party figures had already descended on Seongdong-gu to campaign for Ko, building the rally to a fever pitch.
PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok visited Geumnam Market in Seongdong-gu to fire up the party's base, calling Ko "a verified AI expert and the kind of talent with proven technological credentials" and urging that "Ko Jae-hyun must be the one to take responsibility for Seongdong's new future."
Rep. Na Kyung-won also visited Seongsu-dong and met with Ko, lending her backing. She said Seongdong's longstanding traffic problems and stalled redevelopment projects required "not a politician full of empty words, but a real operator like Ko Jae-hyun who has delivered major projects in the private sector and in business."
Former Minister Kim Moon-soo joined the campaign trail at Majang Market, taking the stage on a campaign vehicle to declare that "Ko Jae-hyun, who has been hardened on the front lines of business, is exactly the right person to cut through tangled regulations and redraw Seongdong's economic map."
Seoul mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon also joined the effort, naming Ko as the ideal partner to align Seongdong's development with the city's sweeping urban planning agenda and pledging strong "one-team support" from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The combined show of force — spanning the party leader, the Seoul mayor candidate, senior lawmakers and former cabinet-level officials — amounted to an all-out mobilization on Ko's behalf.
<style ref="s1">The 'legendary CEO' Lee Myung-bak backs Ko Jae-hyun — a business career that sets him apart</style>
Political observers have noted that it is highly unusual for a former president of Lee's stature — a onetime Hyundai E&C president widely credited with driving South Korea's economic growth — to appear in person at a district-level race. Analysts say the reason Lee rolled up his sleeves for Ko lies in Ko's distinctive track record as a hands-on business executive.
Ko served as head of external affairs at T-map Mobility, the navigation app that has become a fixture on Korean smartphones, after a career at major conglomerates. He also built a solid grounding in public administration as a legislative aide in the National Assembly, through work at public policy institutions, and as secretary to then-Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Yoo Il-ho — a combination of private-sector experience and policy expertise that the campaign says makes the endorsement all the more meaningful.
<style ref="s2">Ko: 'With Lee, who built Seoul Forest, and Oh, who developed it, I will open a Seongdong renaissance'</style>
Ko declared Sunday's rally a turning point that would end what he called complacent governance in Seongdong and deliver genuine economic progress for the district.
Ko said former President Lee, party leadership and Seoul mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon had all expressed their full confidence in his ability to deliver results. He trained his fire on Jeong Won-o — the former Seongdong district mayor now running for Seoul mayor — and on the current Democratic Party district mayor candidate Yu Bo-hwa, saying they had treated Seongdong as their private domain for years while failing to resolve the chronic traffic congestion, school construction and stalled redevelopment projects that residents deal with every day.
Ko added that he was "the only partner who can fully carry forward the grand vision of former President Lee, who built Seoul Forest, and the powerful execution of Mayor Oh, who is driving Seoul's sweeping urban transformation." He pledged to "completely break with performative governance" and serve as a "sales district mayor" who would deliver tangible improvements to residents' daily lives and attract large corporate investment, making Seongdong "the new heart of Seoul."
Ko's campaign said it expected the large turnout of Seongdong residents and supporters at Sunday morning's Seoul Forest rally to mark a decisive moment in spreading the candidate's rising momentum across the entire district.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
