‘Welfare mayor’ proves to be practical

Park’s 1st year shows some pledges achieved, others pending

By Kim Rahn

During the first year of his term, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has focused on change, a shift from the construction-oriented policies to welfare-oriented ones.

The policies of the capital’s first civic activist-turned-mayor have been generally gaining positive responses, along with his efforts for on-the-spot inspections and active communication with citizens and civic groups.

But some have been criticized for lacking reality and were not implemented smoothly due to budget shortages, consequently producing little visible progress.

Paradigm shift

Park was elected in a by-election on Oct. 26 last year after his predecessor, Oh Se-hoon, stepped down while opposing the provision of free school meals to all children regardless of the parents’ financial status. Park, with the slogan “welfare for all,” approved the free lunch program on the first day of his term as mayor.

“I think I was inaugurated at a time when the paradigm was changing: from one of rapid growth to that for quality of life and welfare. For the last year, I tried to make policies that can realize big changes, big visions,” Park said during a media briefing at City Hall, Wednesday.

The mayor has a strong drive for welfare and some of his campaign pledges have already been achieved: providing free school meals; halving tuition at the University of Seoul; and granting regular job status to 1,133 part-time workers at the city government and its affiliates.

He is working on fulfilling other pledges, including building 80,000 long-term lease houses for those in low-income brackets and more public nursery schools.

Stressing on-the-spot inspections, the mayor said he would tkae a temporary office in Eunpyeong New Town in northwestern Seoul, where large-scale apartment complexes were built under the former mayor’s project but many of them have not been sold yet.

“Tens of thousands of people live there but they lack commercial and cultural facilities. Staying there for about a week, I plan to listen to the residents’ opinions and discuss how to solve their problems. I’ll visit not only Eunpyeong but everywhere there are problems,” he said.

Feasibility doubted

Focused on helping the needy, Park’s policies require a considerable welfare budget. But he also aims to substantially reduce the city’s debt of 18 trillion won and many doubt how he can achieve the two contradicting goals.

The mayor plans to build 80,000 homes with about 6 trillion won but at the same time to reduce the city’s debt by 7 trillion won during his term that ends in June 2014.

Even liberal civic groups that usually support Park have suggested the mayor reset his campaign pledges to meet reality, saying the finances of local municipalities, including Seoul, are bad.

Many of his policies also need cooperation from the central government as they require changes of related laws or huge budgets that the city alone cannot cover, such as free education at high schools.

“For such projects, we are seeking the central government’s cooperation but trying to come up with some alternative measures at the same time,” Park said.