Seocho District Mayor Candidate Jeon Seong-su: "I Will Take Responsibility for Administrative Continuity During Seocho’s Golden Time"

"On My First Day in Office, I Will Launch the 'Rapid Reconstruction Support Team'"
[Interview] Jeon Seongsu, People Power Party Candidate for Seocho District Mayor

At the Seocho District campaign office in Seoul, Jeon Seong-su, candidate for Seocho District Mayor, first showed a photo of himself on his cellphone. In the picture, he was walking through an alley with a red traffic flag attached to his back. This is part of his on-site campaign activity called "100 km Walking Into Seocho." Starting in front of the Seoul Arts Center on April 27, as of the interview date on May 14, he had already walked a cumulative 55 kilometers.

Jeon Seongsu, candidate for Seocho District Mayor, is explaining his main pledges in an interview with The Asia Business Daily. Provided by the election office.

"Seocho, excluding Yangjae and Naegok, is a 4 km by 4 km grid. If you walk back and forth twelve times in each of the east, west, south, and north directions, it adds up to 100 kilometers."

In the 2022 local elections, Jeon Seong-su was elected as district mayor with 70.87% of the vote—the highest percentage among all 25 district mayors in Seoul. After announcing his candidacy for the June 3rd local election, his work was suspended. Jeon said, "Seocho is at the center of change, where the energy accumulated over the past several decades must now bear fruit. Designations such as the Yangjae AI Special Zone and the Goter·Sebit Tourism Special Zone are just the beginning. The first five years are the golden time for these projects. If the momentum is lost even for a moment, the projects will drift off course."

He stated, "What matters more than grand discourse is action," adding, "We cannot afford to waste Seocho's precious time on trial and error." The following is a Q&A with the candidate.

-You are running for a second term.

During my first four-year term, Seocho District gained two wings: the Yangjae AI Special Zone and the Goter·Sebit Tourism Special Zone. In November 2024, the Yangjae and Umyeon-dong areas were designated as the 'AI Future Convergence Innovation Special Zone.' This is the first case in Korea of a region designated as a special zone for AI-focused development. With over 500 AI and ICT companies and research institutes clustered here—including Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, LG Electronics, KT, and Samsung Electronics R&D campuses—I plan to expand the area to 400,000 square meters by 2029. The Goter·Sebit Tourism Special Zone is the only tourism special zone in the country that includes the Han River.

-Seocho has many large-scale projects by region.

Complex developments are underway in all four regional areas. For the Seoripul complex development, when you look toward Seoripul Tunnel from Seocho Station, the large-scale performance hall 'Seoripul Sound' will be on the left, and on the right will be the 'Visible Archive,' Korea's first art museum-style storage facility. This will become a symbolic model of the '15-Minute Compact City,' where work, culture and arts, nature, and residential life are seamlessly integrated.

For the Jamwon·Banpo area, the complex development around the Express Bus Terminal began preliminary negotiations with Seoul Metropolitan Government last year. The express bus terminal function will be moved underground, and the ground level will be developed three-dimensionally. In a super high-rise complex hub of more than 60 stories, parks, commercial, tourism, and work functions will be integrated and directly connected to the Han River. The public contribution generated from this project will be used by Seoul Metropolitan Government as an investment resource for northern Seoul.

The Sadang Station metropolitan transfer center in the Bangbae area officially kicked off after 17 years since its initial proposal in 2009. Until now, the limited capacity of the underground reservoir posed a challenge. The business feasibility decreased the larger the reservoir needed to be due to flood concerns.

In the Yangjae area, Yangjae Station is transforming into a triple transfer hub with Subway Line 3, Shinbundang Line, and GTX-C. In addition, we are promoting the 'Seocho Integrated Complex Development,' which brings together the construction of a new Seocho District Office building, a transfer core, and state-of-the-art office facilities. This will be a convergence point for five different modes of transportation: two subway lines, GTX, and the metropolitan bus transfer center. Our goal is to create 'the world's most convenient transfer core,' where transfers can be made within five minutes.

-What will your first approval be if elected?

The first organization to be activated will be the 'Rapid Reconstruction Support Team' directly under the district mayor's office. Until now, reconstruction permits and approvals were handled by separate departments, but I will elevate this to a mayoral-level organization. The support team will go directly to the field, working with the management team to identify bottlenecks and sources of conflict, and provide onsite solutions. Reconstruction incurs daily financial costs; thus, speed is directly related to residents' burden. Seocho District operates a project timeline system for all redevelopment projects, and currently, redevelopment and reconstruction projects are underway at 79 locations.

Jeon Seongsu, candidate for Seocho District Mayor, with a red traffic flag on his back, is greeting residents in front of the Seoul Arts Center. Courtesy of the election office.

-What are your views on real estate policy?

Jeonse rental prices have soared, and with added concerns over holding tax burdens and the possible abolition of the long-term holding special deduction, some residents have begun to refer to the situation as a 'real estate hell.' I believe that reducing the tax burden on a single home that someone has saved for over a lifetime is the way to prevent this real estate hell.

"The interest and responses I receive from residents are my greatest reward. People reach out to shake my hand, give me a thumbs up, and sometimes even kids follow me from across the street."

He will walk the remaining 45 kilometers until the June 3rd general election. Jeon said, "I believe the residents know better than anyone my principles, convictions, and sincerity," adding, "In administration, it always starts and ends with people, and only the person who drew up the blueprint can complete it perfectly."

◆Candidate Jeon Seong-su

△Born in 1961, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam Province △Busan Haedong High School △Seoul National University, Department of Public Law △Master's in Public Administration, Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Administration △Ph.D. in Public Administration, University of Seoul △Passed the 31st Civil Service Examination △Seoul Metropolitan Government PR Officer, General Affairs Director, and Administrative Director △Senior Administrative Officer at the Presidential Office (Lee Myung-bak Administration) △Spokesperson, Ministry of the Interior and Safety △Consul General, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Thailand △10th Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Incheon Metropolitan City and Acting Mayor of Incheon △12th Mayor of Seocho District (from July 2022~)

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