Oh Se-hoon "Climate Companion Card, Absolute Cooperation from Gyeonggi-do Needed"

"Province Should Implement Policies to Help Residents"
Expressed Intention to Promote 'Establishment of Lee Seungman Memorial Hall'

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated that the cooperation of Gyeonggi Province is absolutely necessary for the expansion of the Climate Companion Card, an unlimited public transportation pass, to the metropolitan area.

Mayor Oh made these remarks on the 23rd during the 322nd Seoul Metropolitan Council extraordinary session in response to a question from Kim Hyung-jae, a member of the People Power Party, regarding the expansion of the Climate Companion Card usage area.

Regarding Gyeonggi Province's criticism of Mayor Oh's remarks emphasizing Gyeonggi's cooperation in Seoul's Climate Companion Card policy during a press conference held the previous day, he said, "There are one million Gyeonggi residents commuting to and from Seoul," and criticized the province for not adopting a policy that proactively helps its residents.

He also said, "Gyeonggi Province has effectively declared that it will only prepare the Gyeonggi Pass and has clearly expressed its refusal to participate in the Climate Companion Card," adding, "Therefore, some local government heads who are willing to participate have inquired about joining, and there have been some results."

He pointed out that since Gyeonggi Province and local governments share the financial support for public transportation, and the province has stated it will not provide support at the provincial level, financially strained local governments cannot participate in the Climate Companion Card program.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mayor Oh explained that Seoul bears a larger portion of the financial burden compared to Gyeonggi Province. He said, "Looking at the financial sharing ratio, Seoul's share is greater than Gyeonggi's," noting that when Gyeonggi residents use the Climate Companion Card for commuting, Seoul covers 60% of the cost while Gyeonggi covers 40%. He added, "Seoul is willing to bear more of the financial burden for Gyeonggi residents' usage, but Gyeonggi is refusing."

Mayor Oh also pointed out that the card system applied to Gyeonggi buses is interconnected and operated uniformly at the metropolitan government level, making it difficult for city or county governments to change the system. He said, "Therefore, cooperation from Gyeonggi Province is absolutely necessary," and criticized the province's stance of "We have no intention to participate, so if local governments want to join, they should do so on their own," calling it inconsiderate of the residents. He reiterated his request for Gyeonggi's proactive cooperation.

Meanwhile, during the session, Mayor Oh also expressed his intention to promote the construction of the Rhee Syngman Memorial Hall at the Open Songhyeon Green Plaza in Jongno-gu, Seoul. In response to a question from Choi Jae-ran, a member of the Democratic Party, asking whether he believes the Rhee Syngman Memorial Hall should be built, he replied, "Yes," explaining, "When the construction promotion committee visited Seoul City for discussions last time, it was concluded that Songhyeon-dong would be considered on the premise that a civic consensus is formed."

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