'Patent Doctor' Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Gains Attention for Love of Residents

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, who once held about 60 patents, personally designed and produced the ‘Hot Pack Scarf’ for environmental officers working in the cold

Patent Office design application brings renewed attention to Mayor Park’s patent-holding career

The secret is ‘seeing things anew’... “Administration also needs an attitude of breaking from convention and seeing things ‘anew’”

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] On the 17th, Mapo-gu held a ceremony to deliver ‘Hot Pack Scarves’ for environmental officers who strive to maintain a pleasant local environment despite the severe cold.

The scarves delivered that day were not ready-made products but were designed and produced directly by Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, in preparation for the cold wave.

There is a pocket in the center inside the scarf where a hot pack can be inserted; wrapping it around the neck provides much more warmth than a regular scarf, making it perfect for environmental officers working outdoors in the dead of winter.

Mayor Park said, “On New Year’s Day, a sunrise festival was held at the top of Haneul Park, and it was quite cold. One staff member handed me a hot pack, saying ‘If you put this behind your neck, it’s very warm,’ and that’s where I got the idea.”

Mapo-gu has applied for design registration with the Patent Office to utilize this scarf as a future tourism product of the district. With the design registration pending, this fact has brought renewed attention to Mayor Park’s extensive patent-holding career.

Mayor Park has a special nickname, ‘Abang’ (Idea Bank). At one time holding about 60 patents, people around him shortened ‘Idea Bank’ to ‘Abang’ because of his overflowing ideas.

Regarding this, Mayor Park said, “I have always asked myself questions like ‘Why does it have to be this way?’ or ‘Isn’t there a way to do this easier and more conveniently?’ When you look at things with the thought of making inconvenient parts more convenient, ideas naturally come to mind, and many of those have led to inventions. Above all, it’s important to remember that an inventor is not just someone who creates something new but someone who ‘sees things anew.’”

The habit of seeing all things anew is no exception in district administration. Mayor Park stated, “Administration also needs an attitude of breaking from convention and seeing things anew,” naming ‘improving wrong practices’ as one of the goals for the 8th elected term of Mapo-gu’s district administration.

Among these, he especially emphasizes transparency and fairness in various contract signings and the selection of private consignment companies. The district has achieved significant budget savings worth tens of billions of won through tireless efforts to break away from conventions and improve systems.

Through ‘Road Excavation and Restoration Work System Improvements’ such as the excavation restoration responsibility supervision system, strengthening regular and ad hoc defect inspections, and integrated implementation of small-scale excavation and restoration, a foundation has been laid to prevent defects and poor-quality construction. Additionally, improvement measures were established to enable community centers to independently maintain sidewalks in residential backstreets and alleys closely related to residents’ lives for prompt maintenance and repair.

Mayor Park Gang-su said, “I emphasize to staff that they must not hesitate in the face of wrong practices,” adding, “Experience can both open and close doors, so instead of clinging to past work methods, we will create an organizational culture where our district staff can approach their work with flexible thinking, constantly seeking better alternatives.”

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