[Interview] Lee Young-ran, Suncheon City Council Member, "I Want to Lead a Culture of Learning in the Council"

Proud to Propose 'Improvement of Special Transportation System for Enhancing Mobility Convenience of Transportation-Disadvantaged'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] We met directly with Lee Young-ran, a member of the Suncheon City Council who is striving to keep her pledge to stand by the citizens as "someone who always listens to my story on my side," and had an interview about her reflections on the two years of the first half of the council, her legislative activities so far, and her plans for the remaining term.

Q. What changes have you experienced since becoming a Suncheon city council member representing the citizens' position from an ordinary citizen?

A. The biggest change seems to be the concept of time management and the habit of listening attentively. While ordinary people live freely, as a council member, I have to plan my life comprehensively, so I have developed a habit of maintaining tension in everything I do. Since this position requires hearing diverse opinions from people, I used to talk a lot before, but now I have developed a good habit of listening carefully to others.

Q. What motivated you to take an interest in politics, and how do you feel about spending two years in the first half of your term as a first-term council member?

A. I naturally became interested in politics because many people around me are involved in political work, and through the last local election, I entered the Suncheon City Council. The process of finding reasonable alternatives through discussions and debates with senior and fellow council members, as well as executive officials, was meaningful. Above all, it was a valuable experience where I could feel the sense of accomplishment in implementing grassroots politics directly.

Q. If you were to pick a proud ordinance proposal or a rewarding achievement from your legislative activities over the past two years, what would it be?

A. I believe I have done my best regarding bills and ordinance proposals. Among them, the ordinance concerning consideration for transportation-vulnerable groups, which I created together with the stakeholders on-site, is the most memorable.

I proposed the "Improvement of the Special Transportation System Operation for the Convenience of Transportation-Vulnerable Groups" to secure appropriate means of transportation for people with severe disabilities to go out or engage in outdoor activities, thereby ensuring their basic rights to a dignified life, which gave me a great sense of fulfillment.

Also, I was pleased to receive positive feedback from users by improving the fare system to prevent discrimination by city or county when transportation-vulnerable individuals use call taxis, and by including measures to periodically re-register user information to reflect the actual users, thereby enhancing fairness.

Q. Among the current issues in the Suncheon district, what is the most important project you have focused on promoting?

A. I have worked on establishing comprehensive measures to prevent population decline in Suncheon and implemented all-around plans to address the low birthrate issue. Given the characteristics of my district (Wangjo 2-dong), which has many apartment complexes, I have strived to propose policies to create stable residential conditions to prevent urban hollowing.

Q. What is your determination for the second half of the council term, and what priority tasks do you want to pursue?

A. I want to refine the parts I did well in the first half of the legislative activities and supplement the insufficient and regrettable parts, so that I can work even harder in the second half and be recognized as a "premium city council member." I want to take the lead in creating a culture in the Suncheon City Council that studies for the council’s original functions: checking the executive branch, conducting in-depth budget reviews, policy criticism, and proposing alternatives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.