Jeong Wono: "Seoul to Become a Global G2 City Alongside New York"... Democratic Party's Mayoral Primary Race Heats Up

Announcing a Blueprint for AI-Driven Administration and Expanded Housing Supply
Park Jumin, Kim Youngbae, and Jun Hyunhee Step Up Their Campaigns
Preliminary Primary on March 23-24, Main Primary Scheduled for April 7-9

On March 9, Jeong Wono, former mayor of Seongdong District, officially announced his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral election, under the slogan “A Seoul where citizens are the owners, a Seoul where no tax is wasted.” With all candidates for the Democratic Party of Korea’s Seoul mayoral primary having declared their bids, the official primary race has begun.

On this day, Jeong made his official announcement to run in the June 3 local elections through his YouTube channel, “Jeong Wono TV.” He pledged to “innovate the administrative paradigm through an AI-driven transformation and realize a citizen-sovereign Seoul,” promising an “automatic licensing system based on AI that satisfies required conditions,” and the introduction of an intelligent administration that connects tailored welfare infrastructure without the need for separate applications.

Regarding housing policy, Jeong expressed his determination to increase supply more rapidly. He stated, “By introducing the ‘urban development project manager system,’ we will streamline redevelopment and reconstruction from initial planning to groundbreaking, pushing ahead swiftly and seamlessly,” adding, “We will transfer the authority over small-scale redevelopment projects involving fewer than 500 households to local districts, dramatically accelerating project timelines.” He also revealed plans to make the northwestern and northeastern business corridors the core axes of Seoul’s urban planning.

Jeong Woonoh, former mayor of Seongdong-gu and a preliminary candidate for the Seoul mayoral election from the Democratic Party of Korea, is paying respects at the grave of the late former President Kim Daejung at the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on March 9, 2026. [Provided by Jeong Woonoh's campaign. Resale and DB prohibited] Yonhap News

As for his vision for Seoul, Jeong declared, “We must move toward becoming the economic capital of Asia that rivals New York and attracts global attention—‘Global G2 Seoul’ beyond Tokyo and Singapore.” To this end, Jeong said, “By collaborating with the central government and creating Seoul-style international business zones, we will encourage global companies that had turned away to come to Seoul,” and, “We will resolve the issues that have left the Yongsan International Business District halted for more than a decade, awakening it as a new hub for global innovation companies.” He also announced plans to elevate the Hongneung and Chang-dong bio clusters and the Yangjae AI hub to world-class levels. On the morning of March 9, Jeong paid tribute at the grave of former President Kim Dae-jung at the National Cemetery, and in the afternoon, he is scheduled to visit the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province.

Assemblyman Park Jumin of the Democratic Party of Korea is set to unveil his “Blueprint for Seoul” during a vision declaration event this afternoon, compiling the pledges he has announced since last year. Park’s camp explained, “We will present the details of how he plans to realize his dreams for Seoul, summarizing the pledges and preparations made since his candidacy announcement in December last year.” Assemblyman Kim Youngbae is engaging with the media and preparing for press briefings scheduled for March 10 and 11. Assemblywoman Jun Hyunhee is scheduled to hold a joint live broadcast with Assemblywoman Seo Youngkyo.

The Democratic Party of Korea will hold a preliminary primary on March 23 and 24, narrowing the pool of Seoul mayoral candidates from five to three based on a 100% vote by dues-paying party members. If a female or youth candidate does not place in the top three, one such candidate will be given an additional opportunity to advance to the finals for the sake of representation, resulting in a four-candidate final primary. The main primary, which reflects 50% party member votes and 50% public opinion polls, will be held from April 7 to 9.

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