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| The Saenuri Party's Seoul mayoral candidate Chung Mong-joon, left, talks to passengers during a train ride on subway Line No. 2 in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap | The New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD)'s Seoul mayoral candidate Park Won-soon, right, speaks to an official in the control room of Sangwangsimini Station on subway Line No. 2, Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
Chung and Park stress public safety
By Yi Whan-woo
The Seoul mayoral candidates from the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) visited metropolitan subway stations on their first day of campaigning, Thursday, for the June 4 local elections.
National safety has become a key issue in the wake of the Sewol ferry disaster in April, followed by two Seoul subway train accidents in this month alone. Chung Mong-joon of the Saenuri Party and Park Won-soon of the NPAD checked on the safety of the subway stations in accordance with their respective pledges to enhance public safety.
Chung took a midnight train ride from City Hall Station to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on Line No. 2, the city's busiest line. During his ride, he criticized Park, saying he has not been successful in improving the city's public health and safety during his stay as Seoul mayor.
Chung resigned as a Saenuri Party lawmaker to join the mayoral race. Park was elected as Seoul mayor through a by-election in 2011.
"Park seems to have failed in his job to ensure health and safety of Seoulites and to reduce the use of electricity generated from nuclear power," Chung said.
He referred to Park's decision to operate ventilators across the metropolitan subway stations to 15 hours a day, down from 24. The plan intended to decrease the consumption of electricity generated from nuclear power amid concerns over the safety of old nuclear reactors in the country.
"I consider keeping the quality of the air clean inside subway stops as my priority is for the health and safety of citizens. I will continue to pay attention to related issues," Chung said.
He later moved to Cheonggu Station on Line No. 6 and swept the floors of the subway stop with cleaners there.
Park also began his campaign trail at midnight with a visit to Sangwangsimini Station. The subway stop on Line No. 2 was where a train collision occurred on May 2. Over 200 passengers were injured after a train ran into the back of another that had stalled due to mechanical failure. The accident was followed by an explosion on the roof of a subway train at Geumjeong Station on Line No. 4, Monday. Some 11 passengers were slightly injured.
Park examined the control room of Sangwangsimini Station. He also took a look at other parts of the station to see whether emergency equipment, such as fire extinguishers were in working order.
"I understand Seoul citizens are still shocked by the train collision early this month and this is the scene I wanted to visit first when I began my campaign," he said. "I think my visit to the station for check-up on the safety system would ease worries over public safety."
The NPAD candidate later visited a fire station at Garak Market in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul.
It is one of the city's largest wholesale market on 543,451 square meters of land. Park asked the fire fighters to "be alert all the time," saying "accident could occur anywhere without warnings."
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