[22nd Rising Star]⑥ Seo Myeong-ok "The Heart That Cared for the Homeless Led Me Here"

The Heart Caring for Patients and the Heart Serving the People Are Alike
Worked at Seoul Municipal Hospital, Served as Director of Gangnam-gu Health Center
Went to Daegu During COVID-19: "Doctors Must Step Up When Needed"

Editor's NoteThere are 131 first-term lawmakers entering the 22nd National Assembly. This is the lowest number since the 16th National Assembly in 2000, which had 112. Amid a political landscape where the ruling party is in the minority, the public expects these lawmakers to lead politics of dialogue and compromise and deliver tangible results. We introduce 22 elected officials who are expected to bring a fresh breeze to the 22nd National Assembly. ①Park Ji-hye ②Go Dong-jin ③Gwak Sang-eon ④Park Soo-min ⑤Park Chung-kwon ⑥Seo Myung-ok

"Rather than thinking about becoming a doctor to make a lot of money, I came this far by looking for what I could do for the weak and struggling people."

Seo Myung-ok, elected from Gangnam-gap district for the People Power Party, recently said this in an interview with Asia Economy. Seo emphasized, "The heart of caring for patients as a doctor and the heart of serving the people as a politician are fundamentally the same," adding, "I will work sincerely with the people in mind and without selfishness."

Seo graduated from Kyungpook National University School of Medicine and obtained a specialist qualification in radiology before starting her first job at Seoul Eastern Municipal Hospital. Municipal hospitals have low salaries and are unpopular among doctors because many homeless people, especially those not accepted by private hospitals, come there. She said, "I thought being a doctor was a special profession that requires a sense of calling and mission, so I chose to work at a municipal hospital."

Seong Ok Seo, the elected member of the People Power Party for Gangnam Gap, Seoul, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the local office on the 2nd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

After working at the municipal hospital for over 10 years, she began to take an interest in policy and administration. The municipal hospital is under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. She said, "I moved to Gangnam District Public Health Center, a health administration agency, thinking that depending on my capabilities, I could provide more benefits to low-income groups following the general public." She served as the head of Gangnam District Public Health Center for 10 years and was nominated through the People’s Recommendation System in the Gangnam-gap constituency.

When asked if the wealthy image of Gangnam District contradicts her background, she insisted, "Not all Gangnam residents are well-off." She explained, "There are many single-person households in Nonhyeon 1-dong and 2-dong, and Yeoksam 1 and 2-dong. Many people work in venture companies, entertainment businesses, day labor, and delivery services, and many elderly people live alone in multi-family houses." She added, "The elderly without current income suffer a great burden due to comprehensive real estate taxes reaching hundreds of millions of won. Many apartments are old, causing frequent disputes among neighbors over parking, so there is strong public opinion to expedite reconstruction. Also, because housing prices are high, young and middle-aged people cannot even enter Gangnam District." Seo plans to prepare safety policies for single-person households and measures against the comprehensive real estate tax in this National Assembly.

Seong Ok Seo, the elected member of the People Power Party for Gangnam Gap, Seoul, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the local office on the 2nd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In 2020, when fear of COVID-19 swept the nation, Seo was among the first to volunteer to go to Daegu. She said, "The most important role of public health centers is infectious disease response," adding, "Infectious disease is not a profitable area, so private doctors often avoid it." She continued, "However, I had experience responding during the MERS outbreak, so I was confident I could respond well to some extent. I thought that as a doctor, I should step up when most needed," she said calmly.

Since starting her career, Seo has never had a break, and the only person she feels sorry for is her daughter. Due to the pressure she felt that she must not rest while working, she could not even visit her daughter when she had an appendectomy. She recalled, "During my internship and residency, I came home about once every two weeks. We had someone living with us to help, but if she suddenly felt unwell, there was really nowhere to leave the child immediately." She added, "My husband's friend's wife took care of our child several times, helping us through crises. Therefore, for about three years, the state should fully support childcare so that mothers can raise their children."

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