Kim Young-bae, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker (second term, Seoul Seongbuk A), on the 16th declared a run for next year's Seoul mayoral election, saying he would make Seoul a "special city of time equality." The "special city of time equality" is a pledge to drastically cut commuting times by relaunching light rail projects.
Kim held a campaign announcement ceremony on the morning of the 16th at the old Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, and said it is time to completely redesign misguided urban policies and lay out a new 30-year blueprint for Seoul.
Kim put "resolving time inequality" at the forefront as the reason for running. Kim said that an office worker living on the outskirts of Seoul wastes three hours just commuting to a job in Yeouido, while someone working at the same company arrives on foot in 10 minutes, adding that "distance" has become "class," and "time" has become "privilege." He then cited "flawed urban design and shortsighted urban administration that clung only to quantitative growth and construction" as the causes of this structural inequality.
He then presented "a 10-minute station-area Seoul" as a key pledge. He plans to sharply reduce travel times by fully municipalizing village buses, fully introducing electric Ttareungyi shared bikes, and relaunching light rail lines such as the Gangbuk transverse line, Mokdong line, Nangok line and western line. He also said he would build an AI- and data-based "Seoul Traffic OS" and guarantee three mobility rights: safe walking rights, late-night return-home rights, and priority mobility rights for transportation-disadvantaged people.
Kim also unveiled a "job-housing proximity megacity" plan linking four key hubs in central Seoul with the greater Seoul area. He plans high-density mixed-use development in Yeongdeungpo–Yeouido, Cheongnyangni–Hongneung, Dongdaemun–Seongsu, and Sinchon–Hongdae, and to nurture Taereung–Nowon–Dobong (bio and cultural industries), Eunpyeong–Sangam–Goyang (Climate Tech industries), and Guro–Geumcheon (AI and digital-centered industries) as industrial hubs connected with nearby cities in the metro area. Alongside this, he said he would swiftly push 74 public redevelopment projects and return downtown public sites such as the Supreme Court, Supreme Prosecutors' Office, National Assembly building, and the Korean National Police Agency headquarters to citizen space.
He also emphasized the "10-minute city on foot" policy he pursued as Seongbuk District chief and pledged to expand the "slipper living zone."
Kim highlighted his credentials as a "policy expert," having served as Seongbuk District chief in the fifth and sixth popularly elected terms and as a Blue House secretary under Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in, saying the truly comprehensive administrator Kim Young-bae, with excellent administrative and political skills, will surely get it done.
Kim's official declaration is the third among incumbent Democratic Party lawmakers, following Reps. Park Hong-keun and Park Ju-min. In addition, within the party, Reps. Seo Young-kyo and Chun Hyun-hee are being mentioned as potential candidates. Outside the Assembly, former lawmakers Hong Ihk-pyo and Park Yong-jin and Seongdong District chief Chong Won-o are weighing runs.