Oh attends 204th Seoul District Mayors' Council meeting

Urges district mayors to ensure integrated care services run smoothly on the ground

Credits 25 autonomous districts for Seoul's high global rankings

Calls for district cooperation on nighttime economy drive

Says mayor's office door is always open for dialogue

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon poses for a commemorative photo with attendees of the 204th Seoul Metropolitan District Mayors' Council at Seoul City Hall's planning situation room on Wednesday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon poses for a commemorative photo with attendees of the 204th Seoul Metropolitan District Mayors' Council at Seoul City Hall's planning situation room on Wednesday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon reiterated his focus on quality of life Wednesday at a meeting with the newly elected district mayors of the ninth directly elected term. "There is still a long way to go to improve the quality of life that citizens experience in their daily lives," Oh said, urging the district mayors to "take careful note so that projects such as integrated care services can be delivered on the ground without inconvenience."

Oh made a similar point at a press briefing marking his first 100 days in office on Oct. 7, saying, "When economic prosperity and quality of life are in harmony, both citizens' happiness and the city's competitiveness rise together." He said improving citizens' quality of life is the top priority of the ninth-term Seoul city administration.

Oh attended the 204th Seoul Metropolitan District Mayors' Council, held Wednesday morning at the planning situation room of Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, where he exchanged greetings with the district mayors and deputy district mayors of the ninth directly elected term.

"I am grateful for the hard work of the district mayors in pushing forward, one by one, the projects we envisioned during the first 100 days in office," Oh said. He also credited the cooperation of Seoul's 25 autonomous districts for the city's recent recognition — including being named the world's top metropolis by Condé Nast Traveler and Jongno 3-ga being ranked the world's coolest neighborhood.

Oh said the city had launched a G3 Committee at the start of the ninth term and, working with experts across various fields, had drawn up plans for the next four years. "We have selected 100 priority tasks and are beginning them one by one — and things are moving along relatively smoothly," he said. He added that the administration had begun by focusing on health as part of its drive to make Seoul a city that prioritizes quality of life, and called on each district to pursue policies suited to its own conditions.

Oh also spoke about the nighttime economy — a key strategy of the ninth-term administration. "Revitalizing the nighttime economy to boost Seoul's economy is something the city government cannot do alone," he said. "It requires the active participation and cooperation of all 25 autonomous districts."

He described the districts as "the frontline of administration, closest to citizens, and the first to identify what is lacking and what is urgent." He said the experience district mayors had accumulated on the ground was "the most important force driving Seoul's transformation." He added that his office would remain open at any time to discuss issues facing the districts.

The meeting drew particular attention as it came at a time when the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the autonomous districts are at odds over the transfer of authority over housing improvement projects. The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea are pushing to hand some permitting authority for redevelopment and reconstruction projects of 500 units or fewer to the autonomous districts in order to accelerate housing supply. Seoul City Hall has opposed the move, arguing that differing development standards across districts could lead to uncontrolled development and actually slow projects down.

Officials in charge of improvement projects in 16 districts, including Dongjak-gu, held a meeting Oct. 7 and drew up a proposal to change the threshold for authority transfer from "fewer than 500 units" to "30,000 square meters or less," on the grounds that unit counts can change during a project and area is a more stable benchmark. The districts plan to bring the proposal before the District Mayors' Council and then petition the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to amend the relevant regulations.

The Seoul Metropolitan District Mayors' Council is a consultative body that promotes cooperation between the city and its districts and coordinates issues of shared concern. For the first year of the ninth directly elected term, Seongbuk-gu District Mayor Lee Seung-ro serves as chair, with four vice chairs representing each region: Jongno-gu District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong (northwest), Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa (northeast), Gangseo-gu District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon (southwest) and Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki (southeast).


ikson@heraldcorp.com