The moment when Chong Won-o, head of Seongdong District, emerged as a strong contender for Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor was in early Dec. last year. President Lee Jae-myung suddenly posted on social media (SNS), citing the statistic "92.9% satisfaction among Seongdong District residents," and wrote, "It seems Head Chong Won-o is indeed doing a good job." Within the ruling bloc, people said, "With heavyweight candidates being mentioned, the president effectively boosted Head Chong's stature considerably." In fact, Chong is running first in opinion polls, ahead of other ruling-bloc candidates.
Head Chong is credited with bringing noticeable changes to Seongdong District during his three terms. In Seongdong District, which is 1/36 the size of Seoul, there are 20,000 corporations, and 3 million foreign tourists visit every year. In particular, Seongsu-dong has transformed from an industrial zone into a cultural space symbolizing K-culture. Young companies such as Musinsa, Krafton Inc., and Gentle Monster have also set up shop here. ChosunBiz interviewed Head Chong on the 6th in his office at Seongdong District Office.
◇Democratic Party head praises "Oh Se-hoon's rapid integrated planning" and "Lee Myung-bak's public transit overhaul"
Although Head Chong Won-o belongs to the Democratic Party of Korea, his 12 years as district chief have left him with a relatively muted partisan tone in terms of ruling-opposition confrontation. He did not hesitate to offer positive assessments of former and current Seoul mayors from conservative parties. He also suggested ways to improve and supplement their policies.
Asked about solutions to Seoul's real estate issues, Chong said, "The rapid integrated planning being pursued by the city is good in its direction." The plan is one of Mayor Oh Se-hoon's signature initiatives. Chong gave high marks to a signature initiative of Mayor Oh, who could become his rival in the upcoming local election. "Among the redevelopment and reconstruction maintenance projects proposed so far, the rapid integrated planning is the best-designed system," he said. "Since the real estate market is in an upswing phase now, it's necessary to speed things up, and this system is the most necessary to raise speed."
However, Chong said the system needs to be supplemented to increase its efficiency. "On the ground, procedures and authority are still concentrated, so the perceived speed is slow," he said. "For small-scale maintenance projects of fewer than 500 households, or fewer than 1,000 households, it would be reasonable to diversify the channels so district offices can take the lead in deliberations."
Chong also gave high marks to the "public transit system overhaul" carried out when former President Lee Myung-bak served as Seoul mayor. "What matters is how much a policy actually changes citizens' lives and whether visible outcomes and results prove it," he said. "The overhaul of the public transit system was a representative project that significantly changed citizens' quality of life."
At the same time, Chong pointed out that Seoul's public transit system, established during Lee Myung-bak's mayoral term, has seen little change for more than 20 years and needs to be revitalized. "Aside from Ttareungyi, virtually nothing has changed in public transit, and it is regressing," he said. "Buses have posted a 500 billion won deficit each year for the past five years, and the subway is aging. This must be improved." He said village buses, the capillaries of the transit system, should be strengthened by increasing their numbers and supplementing unprofitable routes with public shuttles. Seongdong District already operates the "Success Bus," which is provided free to users of public facilities and transportation-disadvantaged residents.
Chong also said, "At night, we should introduce autonomous driving buses on dedicated lanes so public transit is always available." He added, "By 2034, marking the 30th anniversary of Seoul's public transit system, we should build a second-generation system," noting, "We need to find a way to improve citizen convenience and reduce the deficit to a manageable level."
◇"The Seoul mayor should seek citizen safety and happiness, not a stepping stone to the presidency"
Head Chong Won-o has not yet officially declared a run for Seoul mayor. The resignation deadline for public officials to run in local elections (Mar. 5) has not yet passed.
Chong said, "In the Seoul mayoral election, it's important to elect someone who ensures citizens' safety and happiness," adding, "Those who viewed the mayoralty as a stepping stone to the presidency were mostly unhappy." He said, "It's time for someone who puts the happiness and safety of Seoul citizens first to serve as mayor."
Chong introduces himself as having earned the evaluation from Seongdong residents over three consecutive terms since 2014 that "having tried it, it was good." "Whether at the district or city level, the essence of administration is not how much political experience you have, but whether you have actually changed citizens' lives," he said. "I have a differentiator because I have produced real results and successfully executed administration."
Chong said, "Seongsu-dong, the area representing Seongdong District, was seeing factories leave, so attracting corporations was the most urgent task," adding, "We set the highest priority on the fact that attracting corporations generates tax revenue, revitalizes the local economy, and enables a virtuous cycle."
Accordingly, Seongdong District introduced a "one-stop" window where corporations can receive desired administrative services from a single department without having to go from one office to another. It also created an attractive local environment for corporations and citizens. The Seongsu-dong urban regeneration project, famous for its "red brick," is a representative example.
Chong said, "Corporations naturally go where people gather," adding, "We focused on how to draw people to Seongsu-dong, and through anti-gentrification policies and a local government ordinance supporting red-brick buildings, we turned Seongsu-dong into a 'cool' neighborhood."