By Chung Min-uck
Park Young-sun, the main opposition Democratic Party’s (DP) candidate for the mayoral by-election on Oct. 26, was born on Jan. 22, 1960, in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.
After graduating Sudo Girl’s High School in Seoul, she majored in geography at Kyung-hee University and was awarded a master’s degree in journalism from Sogang University.
In 1982, Park joined MBC, one of the nation’s biggest broadcasting companies, and worked as a reporter and an anchor till entering the political scene in 2004.
The DP’s supreme council member Rep. Chung Dong-young who is also an MBC broadcaster-turned-politician and head of the party’s policy committee back then saw her talent in politics and suggested she join the party.
Among party members, Park is considered to have an outgoing and enthusiastic character that cannot stand injustice.
She was elected twice as a lawmaker for the DP in 2004 and 2008.
After being chosen as the head of the DP Policy Committee, she pushed hard for a universal form of welfare policies covering a large number of citizens including the 3+1 welfare program of free school meals, free medical benefits and free nursery services for children, and halving college tuition fees.
Her slogan in the mayoral race is “Young Seoul, Mother Seoul, Inspirational Seoul,” focusing more on the software of the city, a contrast to former mayors. She aims to attack those from the ruling party ― Lee Myung-bak and Oh Se-hoon ― for heavily investing in hardware of the city at the cost of the quality of the citizens’ lives.