Im Man-gyun, speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker representing Gwanak District 3, has identified economic recovery for ordinary residents, public safety and youth policy as the council's top priorities for the first half of his term. He plans to pursue pragmatic governance grounded in citizen-centered oversight and cooperation, while pushing to enact a local assembly act to strengthen the independence and expertise of local councils.
In an interview Thursday, Im said he would honor his fellow lawmakers' call for fresh, dynamic leadership. "I will build a council that communicates directly and openly with the public, and works in new and innovative ways," he said.
Elected speaker in a race that drew six candidates, Im — a leader in his 40s — made clear his determination to drive change and reform within the council.
Im said his most important role as speaker is to lead the representative body of Seoul's 10 million residents while ensuring all 118 fellow council members can focus on their legislative work. He said he would strengthen communication across generational lines regardless of age or seniority, and serve as a bridge between younger members and senior lawmakers.
Prevention-first approach to anchor expanded public safety budget
Im identified economic recovery for ordinary residents, public safety and youth policy as the areas demanding the council's greatest attention. He said the Seoul Metropolitan Government needs to step up fiscal support for small-business owners and the self-employed, who are struggling under an economic slowdown and high prices.
He said that while amendments to the Traditional Markets Act have expanded the designation of alley-type shopping districts, related budgets and support have not kept pace with what businesses on the ground actually need. He said the council would closely examine whether funding for traditional markets, alley-type shopping districts and small-business support is delivering real results.
On public safety, Im said prevention-focused policy and fiscal investment matter far more than responding after an accident occurs. He said the council would scrutinize the city's safety plans and related budgets to fulfill its role in protecting the lives and safety of residents.
Improving the effectiveness of youth policy is another core priority. Im said the council would engage directly with young people to identify practical solutions to the overlapping challenges they face — employment, housing, marriage and asset building — and would strengthen council-level discussion and support to ensure young people's voices translate into policy.
'We will never oppose for the sake of opposing'
Im said bipartisan cooperation is a core principle of how he intends to run the council. While the 118 members belong to different parties and represent different districts, they all share a common responsibility before the public as Seoul council members, he said. Policy disagreements should be debated fully, but once decisions are made, members must respect them — and that culture needs to take root, he added.
He said the recent formation of the council's standing committees was completed quickly and with minimal friction, guided by the principle of allocating posts in proportion to seat counts.
Im also made clear that the council's relationship with the city administration would be guided by citizen-centered oversight and cooperation.
"We will firmly check any flawed policy or project, but actively cooperate on policies that residents need," he said. "We will never oppose for the sake of opposing. The only standard for every policy judgment is the citizen."
On city administration, Im said the court's recent ruling involving Mayor Oh Se-hoon falls within the judiciary's domain and is not for the council to assess. He said, however, that the council must hold steady to ensure key policies on residents' livelihoods and public safety continue without disruption.
He said the council would also carefully review both existing and new projects to determine whether they genuinely benefit residents, and would not hesitate to overhaul those that fall short.
Local assembly act seen as key to strengthening independence
Im said enacting a dedicated local assembly act is essential to securing the real independence and expertise of local councils.
While the National Assembly operates under its own National Assembly Act, no equivalent law comprehensively governs the operations and powers of local councils, leaving their roles and authority without adequate institutional backing, he said.
He said local councils lack sufficient independent authority over budgeting, organization and audits, creating structural limits on their ability to check the executive branch. The legislation has been floated as a campaign pledge at every election cycle but has never been enacted, he noted, making it imperative to seize the current opportunity now that the administration has included it as a national policy agenda item.
Im said he would work with local councils across the country to actively push for the legislation and lead efforts to simultaneously strengthen the powers and accountability of local assemblies.
He also plans to expand field-based legislative activity. Rather than limiting visits to his own district, he said he would go out each month with fellow council members to hear directly from residents across Seoul and work with the city administration to find solutions on the ground.
Exchanges with the councils of Seoul's sister cities will be guided by the principles of reciprocity and practical value. Rather than visiting every sister city during his term, Im said he would prioritize cities where policy exchange with Seoul is most needed and symbolically significant, and would consider identifying new sister cities if warranted.
"When my term ends, I want citizens to say that the Seoul Metropolitan Council was the most reliable council by their side," Im said. "I will build a council that listens to citizens to the very end and answers with results — one where people can feel the change."
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
