Tensions between the former and current district mayors of Mapo-gu show no sign of easing even after the June 3 local elections.
The friction stems from moves by the newly inaugurated ninth elected administration to revisit or cancel key projects launched under its predecessor, the eighth elected administration.
Former District Mayor Park Kang-su took to Facebook on Friday to challenge what he called a distorted accounting of the circular train bus service, asking whether 4 billion won had truly been lost to operating deficits.
Park said the bus actually ran for only 11 months, from May 2025 to March 2026, and argued that the 4 billion won figure improperly bundles in pre-launch preparation costs as well as roughly 2.08 billion won spent on four electric buses, charging infrastructure and smart shelters — assets that have not disappeared.
The buses remain Mapo-gu property, the charging facilities are still in place, and the smart shelters are still standing as district assets, he said, questioning whether it is appropriate to count all of that as an "operating deficit."
Calculated against the 2026 Mapo-gu Facilities Management Corporation outsourcing budget, the monthly average works out to about 41.33 million won. Applied to the 11 months the service actually operated, that comes to roughly 450 million won. Subtract approximately 55 million won in fare revenue, and the net operating deficit attributable to actual service comes to about 400 million won.
Park said the gap between 4 billion won and 400 million won was far too wide to ignore.
He said the service was designed to channel the large numbers of tourists visiting Hongdae and the Red Road beyond Mangwon and Yeonnam into the traditional markets and alley commercial districts scattered across Mapo-gu — including Ahyeon, Gongdeok, Dohwa and Yonggang.
He also said that subways and city buses run at a loss without being shut down, arguing that public transit cannot be judged a success or failure on fare revenue alone.
Park warned that canceling the project could in fact trigger additional fiscal losses of roughly 1.5 billion won through subsidy repayments and the removal of already-installed facilities, and said there is no reason to automatically scrap a project simply because a predecessor started it.
How Mapo-gu's current administration responds to these claims will be closely watched.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
