Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon delivers a speech at a ceremony to kick off the 2018 business year at Sejong Center for Performing Arts.

Seoul Mayor Park doles out a rice cake to an official of the Seoul Metropolitan Government prior to the event. (Photos: SMG)

In his New Year’s message, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon declared what he called a “10-year revolution,” virtually announcing that he would seek a 3rd mayoral term. 

In the message, Mayor Park said, “Efforts have made extensively for the past six years, but they are not sufficient to change 10 million citizens’ lives, so (I’ll) go for a longer journey with heavier responsibility.” 

“It takes 10 years to change rivers and mountains, and changing my life requires 10 years,” Park added. “The tomorrow of Seoul ought to be a connection and expansion of the past six years, and six years’ accumulation and evolution.” 

Mayor Park took office on Oct. 27. 2011. Ten years from that date will fall on Oct. 26, 2021. The next Seoul mayor’s term runs from July 2018 to June 2022. 

Explaining the rationale of his reelection bid, Mayor Park suggested the concept of a “10-year revolution” for the first time, rebuking negative criticism with the Chinese saying “gweonbul sipneon,” which roughly translates into “Every flow has its ebb.” 

Park says, “10 years are required to change city and the world.” 

He revealed his reelection bid aspirations in a big picture perspective. “We’re dreaming of a great metropolis together for helping (Seoul) stand for a solid foundation as the world’s top city whose lives surpass those of Tokyo, Paris and London.” 

Specifically, he touched on his vision of Seoul taking full responsibility for birth, daycare and youth housing. Secondly, he dreamed of Seoul of sustainable future city in such sectors as job creation and energy. Thirdly, he suggested Seoul be committed to ensuring peace in inter-Korean relations and Northeast Asia.  

The following are excerpts of his message.

“Now the New Year of 2018 has been ushered in before us.

“The President Moon Jae-in government stressed that government policies are meaningless if they could change people’s lives. 

The direction of the new government’s management of state affairs is toward the improving of the quality of people’s lives and the well-being of Korea. “We’ve already been exploring Seoul’s changes for the past six years. 

“(Seoul) was once a city investing in civic work and building, and a city perceiving welfare as waste. 

“But the management of the Seoul Metropolitan Government elected by citizens has changed since 2011. I promised making a metropolis existing for the purpose of its people, ending 10 years of losing human beings instead of a city.

“I made a pledge of becoming a ‘first mayor to change my life.’ The promises have led to great changes together with citizens and SMG family officials. 

“For the past six years, Seoul has put into practice the credos ― cooperation, innovation and communication with citizens, invested into low-income families’ lives, halved debts and redoubled its welfare budget. Opening an era of universal welfare, Seoul has achieved a welfare paradigm shift to exploring welfare needs. Urban development paradigm changed for the past six years. Seoul has become a city repairing and recycling, not one of erasing and rebuilding.

“Investing into human beings has led to greater urban competitiveness. The nation saw its competitiveness drop to 26th whereas Seoul rose to sixth in terms of urban competitiveness.”