'The Father of Modern Economics' First-Term Seoul Mayor Cho Soon, Committed to a 'Safe Seoul'

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Economy Cho Soon Passes Away... Dies While Hospitalized Due to Old Age
Scholar and Practitioner... Received On-Site Reports During Sampoong Department Store Collapse
Formed Safety Inspection Task Force, Improved Environmental Issues, Left Major Legacy as Seoul Mayor

Former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Cho Soon [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Cho Soon passed away in the early morning of the 23rd due to an illness. He was 94 years old.

He was regarded as the "Godfather of Modern Economics," having served as Minister of the Economic Planning Board and Governor of the Bank of Korea. In particular, during the Kim Young-sam administration in 1995, he was elected as the first popularly elected Mayor of Seoul as a member of the Democratic Party, embarking on a path as an administrator.

After the April 19 Revolution, although Mayor Kim Sang-don was the first popularly elected mayor in the direct election of the Seoul mayor, experts consider former Mayor Cho Soon as the de facto first popularly elected mayor since the practical local autonomy system was implemented in 1995.

The late mayor’s election process was truly dramatic. According to a public opinion poll conducted in May 1996, one month before the election day, Park Chan-jong had 32%, Cho Soon 18%, and Jung Won-sik 10%. Based on the poll results alone, there was enough concern that the late mayor might not only fail to win but also lose the second place.

However, Seoul citizens gradually began to show favor toward him after watching his TV debates and speeches. A famous anecdote is that he rented the Mapo Cable TV studio to practice debates, selecting other candidates and panelists, preparing with the actual situation in mind. Camera adaptation training was also conducted during this process. Ultimately, most of the voters who initially leaned toward candidate Park Chan-jong shifted their support to the late mayor during the final voting process.

After being elected as the first popularly elected Mayor of Seoul on June 28, 1995, he began his duties with on-site command of the "Sampoong Department Store collapse," considered the greatest disaster since the founding of the nation, without even having time for an inauguration greeting. He also ordered department heads responsible for Seoul city affairs to go to the site for reporting. Furthermore, he apologized to Seoul citizens, victims, and bereaved families for the city's failure to properly manage the situation and showed utmost sincerity in negotiations.

Determined to create a so-called "Safe Seoul," he organized a safety inspection task force composed of professional staff to conduct regular patrols of facilities, receive reports from local residents, inspect facilities, and provide emergency measures. During this process, he promoted safety inspections and repairs of various urban facilities, including rebuilding the Seongsu Bridge, which collapsed in 1994. The reason he is evaluated as emphasizing balance, equity, and stability is not unrelated to this.

At that time, preparing for the upcoming era of globalization, the image of Seoul viewed by people worldwide was also a major challenge for him. Accordingly, in October 1995, he initiated the CI (corporate identity) development project and unveiled a symbol representing the Hangul "Seoul" as the city's mountains, sea, and Han River on Seoul Citizens' Day, October 28, 1996. This emblem, created then, has been used as the symbol of Seoul City up to the fifth popularly elected term.

He also accelerated efforts to improve environmental issues. He enacted the Basic Environmental Ordinance and Environmental Charter, and created institutional measures to solve environmental problems in communication with citizens, such as the "Green Seoul Citizens Committee" and the "Citizens' Council for Solving Waste Problems." Expanding parks and green spaces, including converting Yeouido Plaza and former factory sites into parks, was also one of his achievements through a five-year plan.

Until recently, the late mayor served as an honorary professor in the Department of Economics at Seoul National University and nurtured numerous disciples to the extent that they were called the "Cho Soon School." The funeral is being held at Seoul Asan Medical Center Funeral Hall, Room 30. The funeral procession will be on the morning of the 25th, and the burial site is in Gangneung family burial grounds.

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