The Seoul Metropolitan Council elected Rep. Kim Kyung-woo (Democratic Party of Korea, Dongjak-gu District 2) as chair of its Health and Welfare Committee at the 338th extraordinary session held Tuesday. The committee oversees welfare and health-care policy and budgets related to women, families, people with disabilities and the elderly in Seoul.
Kim, a former pharmacist and health-care specialist, previously served as president of the Dongjak-gu Pharmacists Association and as senior vice chair of the Dongjak-gu chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council, where he led community health-promotion and volunteer initiatives. Drawing on that experience, he began his legislative career as a member of the 10th Seoul Metropolitan Council, focusing on resolving residents' complaints and developing support policies for vulnerable groups. His community-centered approach — including local children's mentoring programs — earned public trust and led to his reelection to the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council's Health and Welfare Committee oversees 175 agencies and 847 projects, spanning the Women and Family Office (six departments), the Welfare Office (nine departments), the Public Health Bureau (seven departments), and institutions including the Seoul Foundation for Women and Family, the Seoul Welfare Foundation, the Seoul Institute of Public Health and Environment, Seoul Medical Center and other city-run hospitals. The committee reviews the 2026 budget of 17.81 trillion won ($12.1 billion) and a fund of 260.8 billion won — together accounting for roughly 40 percent of Seoul's total budget.
In remarks upon his election, Kim said he had spent years as a pharmacist working closely alongside residents through their health challenges and everyday hardships, and that his time as a Seoul council member had shown him firsthand how lives genuinely change when voices from the field translate into policy.
"As chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, I will focus all my efforts on crafting policies that citizens can feel in their daily lives, reducing gaps in welfare coverage and building a healthy, caring Seoul," Kim said.
He added that the first-half Health and Welfare Committee of the 12th Council would maintain constant communication with the community, ensuring that no resident's voice goes unheard and that Seoul's health and welfare policies bring real, tangible change to people's lives.
The first-half Health and Welfare Committee of the 12th Council was finalized Tuesday through a plenary vote. Its members are: Chair Kim Kyung-woo (Democratic Party, Dongjak 2); Kang Dong-gil (Democratic Party, Seongbuk 3); Kim Myeong-hui (Democratic Party, Gangbuk 1); Song Sun-hyo (Democratic Party, Gangseo 4); Lee Byeong-do (Democratic Party, Eunpyeong 2); Lee Seung-mi (Democratic Party, Seodaemun 3); Lee In-ae (Democratic Party, proportional); Song Geon-u (People Power Party, Yangcheon 2); Lee Jong-min (People Power Party, proportional); and Ju Su-hyeon (People Power Party, proportional).
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