Seo Gang-seok, Songpa District Mayor, Novel 'Gangsu Walked' Publication Celebration 'Bustling'

From 3 PM on the 16th, Autobiographical Novel 'Gangsu Walked' by Seogangseok, Songpa-gu Mayor, Publication Celebration Held at Songpa-gu Community Center...Hundreds of Residents and Acquaintances Gather Before Official Event

At 2 p.m. on the 16th, the day of the nationwide College Scholastic Ability Test, hundreds of residents of Songpa-gu were lined up at the Songpa-gu Community Center, where it was raining.

On this day, there was a book launch event for Seogangseok, the mayor of Songpa-gu’s autobiographical novel Gangsu Neun Georeotda (Gangsu Walked). Two hours before the official event starting at 3 p.m., the community center was bustling with residents.

Around 2:20 p.m., Mayor Seo, who arrived in front of the center, greeted the residents with “Thank you.”

Gangsu Neun Georeotda tells the story of Seo Gangseok’s parents, Jeonghwan and Sukhwa, who lived difficult lives described in the novel as “burning wet straw,” due to conflicts with the times, and the story of Gangsu, born into a poor family who became a public official and eventually an elected mayor, and his wife Gyeonga. The narrative moves across time and space, unfolding in an engaging and entertaining manner without a dull moment.

Mayor Seo’s novel depicts his own life trajectory, including moving to Changcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul during the politically turbulent period in 1979 when President Park Jeonghee was assassinated and martial law was declared, his difficult family circumstances, his focus on theater in the university drama club instead of studying, failing the first round of job application screening, and his challenge of the civil service exam.

Especially after passing the civil service exam, the story of his 30-plus years of public service at Seoul City Hall and the Blue House, persuading his wife to run for the mayoral election, and being elected as the 8th elected mayor of Songpa-gu, transforming from an administrator to a politician, makes the book an easy and enjoyable read.

Mayor Seo is a published poet who won the 3rd Korea Arts Writers Award from Yeollin Sihak in 2013. After passing the 25th civil service exam, he served as an administrative officer at the Blue House, Seoul’s New York representative, director of Seoul Human Resources Development Institute, deputy mayor, and other positions over 33 years as a first-grade public official. He also holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration.

Yoo Inchon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, praised in his review that “Anyone who opens the first page will not be able to stop reading until the end,” calling the novel Gangsu Neun Georeotda “our story.”

Minister Yoo said, “The story of Gangsu’s father Jeonghwan is the story of our country suffering from poverty, and the story of Gangsu, who lived a life of challenge and achievement, is the story of today’s Republic of Korea,” adding, “Mayor Seo Gangseok wrote an excellent novel with solid story development, described with the sensitivity and literary quality he cultivated in the university drama club.”

Meanwhile, former high-ranking public officials who had connections in Seoul, such as Inogeun, the 4th elected mayor of Nowon-gu, Jin Cheolhun, former director of Seoul Housing Bureau (former ROTC Central Association president), Jang Seokmyeong, auditor of the Korea Specialty Construction Mutual Aid Association (former Blue House Public Service Discipline Secretary), and Kim Jinpal, former head of Seoul Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, also attended to celebrate and brighten the event. Additionally, Choi Changsik, president of the Seoul City Alumni Association (former deputy mayor of Seoul), and Baek Ho, president of Seoul Metro, sent wreaths to congratulate the book launch event.

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