Councils where the ruling and opposition parties coexist are rarely quiet.
At the National Assembly and at city and district councils alike, clashes between the two sides frequently throw legislative schedules into disarray.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council is no exception.
Yet observers are watching closely to see whether the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council, led by Speaker Lim Man-gyun — the youngest speaker in the council's history and a former professional — might chart a different course from its predecessors.
There is growing hope that even fierce debate between the ruling and opposition parties over key issues will not descend into one-sided confrontation or extreme dysfunction.
That possibility was on display Tuesday afternoon, when Lim outlined his vision for running the council in his opening address at the plenary session of the 339th extraordinary session.
"In last month's inaugural address, I promised that the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council would restore what a council should truly be," Lim said. "That was a pledge to move forward guided solely by citizens — not unconditional opposition, not unconditional cooperation."
He said the current extraordinary session would serve as "the first test of proving that promise through action."
Lim also made clear his intention to use the 339th extraordinary session to scrutinize the direction of Seoul city administration and education policy, and to lay the groundwork for a "working council" over the next four years.
Lim quoted the Confucian concept of "jeong ja jeong ya" — the idea that governance means setting things right — saying, "Politics is precisely the act of rectification."
"Both oversight and cooperation serve the same purpose: to set Seoul's city administration and education policy on the right path before 10 million citizens," he said.
At a time when politics is drawing widespread public criticism for failing to fulfill its proper role, Lim's remarks carry considerable weight.
Cooperating without losing sight of citizens as the standard, and providing oversight without reducing every issue to partisan calculation — that, he said, is the essence of the "council-like conduct" that citizens have demanded.
Of course, actions matter more than words in running a council. The chances of ruling and opposition parties clashing over major Seoul city policies, budgets and education issues are far from small.
Even so, it is worth hoping that the newly launched 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council can establish itself as a body that seeks solutions through dialogue, deliberation and compromise — rather than steamrolling with a numerical majority or resorting to reflexive opposition.
The speaker's leadership will be all the more consequential, given that the council's character ultimately reflects the person at its helm.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
