Dongjak Mayor Candidate Ryu Samyoung: "Will Launch Redevelopment Promotion Task Force and Open District Office to Residents"

"35 Years as a Police Officer, Strength Lies in Conflict Resolution"
"Will Say Goodbye to Showmanship and Uncommunicative Governance"
[Interview] Ryu Samyoung, Dongjak District Mayor Candidate

"On January 8 of this year, I laid my parents to rest together at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-dong. My father was a Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) soldier who participated in the Korean War and was awarded the Hwarang Order of Military Merit as a national merit recipient. However, due to an administrative oversight, our family was unaware of this for nearly 70 years and only found out a few years ago."

During the 22nd general election, Ryu Samyoung, a candidate for Mayor of Dongjak District, faced criticism for being a "transient with no local ties to Dongjak District." He smiled and remarked, "Now that Dongjak District has become my family’s ancestral burial ground, no one can call me an outsider anymore."

Candidate Ryu Samyoung, running for mayor of Dongjak District, explained his key pledges in an interview with The Asia Business Daily on the 12th. Photo provided by the campaign office.

Born in 1964 in Yeongdo, Busan, Ryu graduated from the Korean National Police University (4th class, Department of Law) and wore the police uniform for 35 years. He has served three times as chief in top-tier police stations, including Yeongdo Police Station in Busan, head of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Investigation Division at Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, and chief of Jungbu Police Station in Ulsan, earning a reputation as a top investigator.

In July 2022, Ryu led a nationwide meeting of police chiefs in opposition to the government's plan to establish a Police Bureau under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. For this, he received a three-month suspension and retired with honor the following year. In December of the same year, he entered politics as the third officially recruited talent by the Democratic Party of Korea, running in the 22nd general election for Dongjak-eul against five-term veteran Na Kyungwon, narrowly losing. For the past two years, he has served as the district head of the Dongjak-eul constituency, building his local presence. We met with Ryu Samyoung at his campaign office on the 12th.

-How do you respond to concerns that you lack administrative experience?

▲That is a misunderstanding. A police chief holds one of the most complex administrative positions. A chief of a top-tier police station leads an organization of 600 to 700 members and is responsible for all aspects of public safety administration in the jurisdiction. This includes managing budgets, personnel, and conflict resolution. For 35 years, my work has ultimately been about going to problematic sites and untangling complex situations.

The biggest reason redevelopment projects stall is conflict. Design work is done by construction and civil engineering experts, but what is truly needed is vision and conflict resolution ability. Investigation is like mathematics—it is a logical process of solving problems based on clues. This is the same approach required to resolve the tangled complaints and interests in maintenance projects.

Jin Kyohun, Mayor of Gangseo District; Lee Kangdeok, Mayor of Pohang; Cho Gilhyeong, Mayor of Chungju (now running for Chungbuk Province Governor); and Jang Chungnam, Mayor of Namhae County—all are former police officers, and most have served more than one term. I believe it is because judgment and crisis response in the field are ingrained in them.

-How do you evaluate the previous administration of Dongjak District? What will you continue or discontinue?

▲Former Mayor Lee Changwoo laid the foundation for the Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town, and Mayor Park Ilha made urban renewal a central administrative priority. I plan to carry forward the strong drive for urban renewal.

However, I will definitively break with exhibitionist and populist administration, as well as non-transparent and uncommunicative governance. Mayor Park Ilha’s past four years have not been free from criticism that his administration focused more on showy events and personal achievements than on the real lives of residents. Ostentatious but hollow administrative waste must be stopped. There is also considerable local dissatisfaction about whether residents’ opinions were adequately reflected when determining the direction of projects.

-If elected, what will be your ‘first official approval’?

▲The first official approval will be the "Formation and Operation Plan for the Urban Renewal Project Promotion Task Force by District." Instead of the current ad-hoc policy task force operating at Dongjak District Office, I will reorganize it as a formal department. As reconstruction and redevelopment are the most pressing issues for Dongjak District over the next four years, a temporary organization is not sufficient.

There is another initiative I consider my ‘real first pledge’: I will open the district office doors wide for residents. Currently, at Dongjak District Office, residents must leave their identification and receive a visitor’s pass to access only specific departments. The fifth floor, where the mayor’s office is located, is virtually off-limits. While the residents are the true owners of the district office, the current structure treats them as guests. It is not right to inconvenience the majority of residents because of a few problematic complaints. On my first day in office, I will open the doors wide and declare that the residents are the true owners.

-What is the most urgent issue facing Dongjak?

▲Over 100 different urban development projects are not operating smoothly. The key is not simply to move faster, but to create a structure that moves "quickly in the direction residents want." By expanding the fast-track system for permits and approvals, forming promotion task forces by district, and operating a stakeholder conflict resolution committee for maintenance projects, I will ensure that the projects residents want are delivered.

The district-by-district project promotion task force will be structured so that experts, stakeholders, managers dispatched from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and district office staff—four parties—sit at one table. This team will analyze obstacles and propose solutions at each stage, from planning to project approval and administrative disposition.

Ryu Samyoung is smiling while explaining his first campaign pledge. Photo by the election office.

-During the primary, you highlighted "synergy with the central government and Seoul Metropolitan Government" as a key strength. What channels will you activate for securing budgets, permits, and linking with large-scale projects?

▲Most district projects are difficult to implement without national or city funding. Ultimately, approvals for major projects are decided at the negotiation stage with Seoul City and central ministries. Simply having a district head who is a member of the ruling party and can keep these channels open is a major asset. Through the general election and my time as regional chair, I have become familiar with the party’s policy lines. I know whom to meet, and where.

-Beyond major development issues, what are your signature policies for everyday "life administration" that directly affects residents?

▲For "life administration," I have proposed establishing libraries and kids’ cafes in each neighborhood, creating riverside parks along the Han River and Dorimcheon, expanding community sports facilities, increasing public parking and intelligent parking management systems, and opening new senior cultural centers including indoor screen park golf facilities in each district. In the area of safety and security, which is directly tied to my 30 years of police experience, my three main initiatives are: introducing an AI-based disaster response system; expanding pedestrian safety facilities and safety fences; and strengthening safety measures for crime prevention, accidents, environment, noise, and dust at redevelopment sites.

◆ About Candidate Ryu Samyoung

△Born in 1964 in Busan △Graduated from the Korean National Police University △Former Chief of Yeongdo Police Station, Busan △Former Head of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Investigation Division, Busan Metropolitan Police Agency △Former Chief of Jungbu Police Station, Ulsan (led the nationwide police chiefs’ meeting in July 2022) △Third officially recruited talent by the Democratic Party of Korea (December 2023) △Candidate for Dongjak-eul in the 22nd General Election △District Head of the Dongjak-eul constituency, Democratic Party of Korea, Seoul Metropolitan Chapter △Head of the National Safety Rescue Headquarters, Democratic Party of Korea △Chairperson of the Small Business Committee, Democratic Party of Korea, Seoul Metropolitan Chapter △Expert Committee Member for Political and Administrative Affairs, National Planning Committee (2025)

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