1,226 residents met, 289 field visits made — listening to everyday concerns and local issues
Cutting protocol and formality to focus on community engagement, even between official appointments
From young residents wrestling with housing and employment to merchants frustrated by parking restrictions and parents pushing for better school environments — the everyday concerns of Seodaemun-gu residents are shaping the district's administrative priorities. Park Woon-ki marks his 100th day as Seodaemun-gu district mayor on Thursday. He has made meeting residents a routine part of his work, seeking out the changes communities need by going directly to the source.
Seodaemun-gu said Park, who took office July 1, has met directly with 1,226 residents, made 289 field visits to hear voices from across the district, and spent a total of 33,720 minutes listening to residents since taking office.
In his inaugural address, Park pledged to become "a district mayor for all residents — one who communicates and listens." Since then, he has met with a wide range of community members, including young people, merchants, senior citizens and parents, hearing their everyday grievances and suggestions. He has also visited welfare facilities, traditional markets, schools, startup centers and redevelopment sites to assess local challenges firsthand.
Cutting protocol and formality, making resident engagement routine
After taking office, Park asked staff to reduce excessive protocol and formality and to focus administrative energy on residents and the field. Meetings with the district mayor were not confined to scheduled events and official forums. Park carved out time between appointments to meet residents, used lunch breaks to hear from senior citizens, people with disabilities and workers, and made himself available even to residents who showed up unannounced — spending as little as five or ten minutes listening to their concerns and suggestions.
From youth concerns to merchant grievances — finding policy direction in the field
As a city home to nine universities, Seodaemun-gu has a large young population, and Park met with university students, entrepreneurs and artists to hear their real-world concerns about housing, employment and loneliness. Informal gatherings over a beer also gave young residents a relaxed setting to share what support they need from the district.
At welfare sites, Park identified challenges that varied by demographic and location — the settlement of marriage migrants into the community, social isolation among middle-aged residents, and support networks for the elderly. He also exchanged views with parents on school facilities, education programs and the broader learning environment in the district.
In meetings with merchants, Park heard about the difficulties of running a business on the ground. Some of the suggestions raised in the field were incorporated into administrative practice, including a temporary suspension of parking enforcement around restaurants during the lunch hour.
At redevelopment sites, where competing interests often collide, Park listened directly to residents' positions. On contentious issues, he reviewed each party's circumstances and demands to explore paths toward resolution.
First official act: resident autonomy — 14 neighborhood councils to launch Nov. 1
Park's first official act after taking office was to approve a plan to promote resident self-governance. The decision reflected his governing philosophy that residents should move beyond simply voicing opinions to become active participants who discuss and resolve neighborhood issues together.
To put that into practice, 14 neighborhood resident councils across the district are set to launch Nov. 1. The district ran a resident self-governance school from Sept. 8 to Sept. 28 as part of efforts to build a foundation for residents to identify local issues and work together on solutions.
Park visited all 14 neighborhoods after taking office and collected 151 resident opinions. During those visits, the focus was on listening rather than presenting top-down policy explanations, and the feedback received is being routed to relevant departments for review and follow-up.
What was heard in the field becomes next year's priorities
Seodaemun-gu is reviewing its 2027 policies, projects and budget based on the resident feedback gathered over the past 100 days.
At departmental briefings held from Sept. 28 through Friday, feedback from the field was examined alongside related projects. The district plans to assess what support is needed to ease residents' everyday inconveniences and how to address local issues, then incorporate those findings into next year's project plans and budget process.
"The past 100 days were a time to listen to each and every resident and confirm what challenges Seodaemun must tackle and where we need to go," Park said. "I will keep listening to different voices so that everyone can feel the change in how this district is run, and I will keep my promise to become a district mayor for all of us."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
