[Interview] Lee Bok-nam, Chairman of the Culture and Economy Committee of Suncheon City Council, "I Will Make a Council That Citizens Care About"

Candidacy for Speaker in the Second Half of the Term

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] We met with Suncheon City Council member Lee Bok-nam, who wishes to be a respectful and considerate colleague to fellow council members, an administrative partner to public officials, and always a sincere representative to residents. We discussed her reflections on serving as the Chairperson of the Culture and Economy Committee in the first half of the 8th Suncheon City Council and her plans for the second half of the council activities.

Q. You held an important position as the Chairperson of the Culture and Economy Committee in the first half of the 8th council. Looking back, how do you feel?

A. I was entrusted with the significant responsibility of standing committee chairperson by the citizens of Suncheon and fellow committee members. I initially wanted to accomplish many things, but due to the impact of COVID-19, activities related to culture, economy, and education were postponed or canceled, and many planned initiatives could not be carried out, which is quite regrettable.

However, over the past two years, with the first implementation of the Farmers' Allowance and the establishment of institutional support for the Suncheon Cultural Foundation, which had been a subject of repeated controversy for many years, I believe the Culture and Economy Committee has diligently fulfilled its role in oversight, monitoring, policy alternative development, and proposals on behalf of citizens, striving for the advancement of culture and arts.

Q. Among your legislative activities over the past two years, focusing on bill and ordinance proposals, which accomplishment do you find most rewarding?

A. Local government budgets are like fixed-income household finances, so preventing concentration in vested interests and caring for socially vulnerable groups by institutionalizing ‘good ordinances’ is a very important duty of a city council member.

To this end, during the 6th and 7th councils, I devoted efforts to proposing and revising ordinances for the preservation of Suncheon Bay, which supports the ecological city of Suncheon, and for the care of socially vulnerable groups. In the 8th council, I consider the ordinance that improved welfare for citizen university instructors by adjusting instructor allowances and establishing capacity-building programs, as well as the ordinance that eased the standards for compensation payments for damages caused by wild animals and expanded the support targets, as my most rewarding achievements.

Q. Among current local issues, what was the most prioritized matter you pursued?

A. In response to new apartment construction in the Maegok-dong and Yongdang-dong areas, I prioritized urgent traffic measures and resolving residents’ inconveniences, including the construction of a bypass road behind Yongdang Elementary School, road widening towards Wonyongdang and Jogokgyo Bridge, bridge installation, and securing parking lots.

Many of these have been reflected in the urban management plan and are either completed or underway. Going forward, I plan to continue sharing these issues with the administration and implementing them as important ongoing matters.

Q. How would you evaluate your campaign promises to the citizens?

A. My main pledges included ▲introducing a resident autonomy innovation neighborhood with elected civilian neighborhood chiefs, ▲selecting Maegok-dong and Dongoe-dong as new urban regeneration business districts, ▲expanding the Yongdang-dong Senior Welfare Center, and ▲urgent living environment improvement projects.

I wanted to introduce a pilot project for resident autonomy innovation with an open civilian neighborhood chief election system in Samsan-dong, but it was prioritized in Nakan-myeon, which is quite disappointing.

Regarding the Yongdang-dong Senior Welfare Center, the city is comprehensively reviewing new construction and expansion. For urban regeneration in the Maegok-dong area, I am striving to secure project funds and implement them by applying for public contests from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to revitalize local commercial districts such as Ujang and Daehak-ro, fulfilling my promises to citizens through various efforts.

Q. What do you want to focus on most in the second half of the council?

A. I want to further activate ‘village communities’ where citizens solve common village problems themselves, making Suncheon a city where citizens are the owners, and strengthen the foundation as an ecological and cultural city.

Q. You have expressed your intention to run for the chairperson of the Suncheon City Council in the second half. If elected, how do you plan to lead the council?

A. Since oversight, monitoring, and alternative proposals on various issues begin in standing committees, I will focus on stimulating active activities in these committees to create a vibrant council. Especially, I will emphasize highlighting the legislative activities of each council member in both plenary and committee sessions by operating sign language interpretation in the plenary hall and running a ‘Local Autonomy University (tentative name)’ to strengthen council capabilities, aiming to create a council that citizens can participate in.

Additionally, I want to strengthen the legislative publicity team to inform citizens about council activities through various methods, encouraging greater public interest in the council.

Q. As a multi-term council member in the second half, what kind of council member do you aspire to be?

A. I want to be respectful and considerate to fellow council members, an administrative partner to public officials, and always sincere in facing residents.

Q. Lastly, is there a message you would like to convey to the citizens of Suncheon?

A. I believe city council members exist to represent the rights of citizens.

For a healthy local community, the council’s verification, monitoring of the executive branch, and thorough budget review are essential. Even if there are some shortcomings from the citizens’ perspective, I ask for your interest and support for the council that is striving to fulfill its roles and responsibilities.

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