[Initial Moment] Finding the Presence of Park Namchun, Mayor of Incheon

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] What score would Incheon Mayor Park Namchun receive after serving half of his term? If we apply an objective evaluation standard, it would be quicker to look at the degree of fulfillment of his campaign promises. According to the results of Incheon City's self-assessment applying the Korean Manifesto Practice Headquarters' campaign fulfillment evaluation criteria, Mayor Park achieved 136 out of 140 promises, which is 97.1%. Although 56 promises (40%) were completed, the achievement rate includes projects that are being normally promoted according to the annual plan, resulting in this figure.

Nevertheless, an achievement rate close to 100% for campaign promises is a rare accomplishment even among previous city governments. Immediate criticism of 'self-scoring' is inevitable. This is understandable because when a close aide of the mayor (in an open position) is placed in the team responsible for evaluating the fulfillment of the local government head's promises, no matter how objective the indicators are, there is bound to be bias.

Despite these limitations, there have been some achievements during the two years of the 7th elected term. Representative examples include the completion of administrative procedures for long-unexecuted roads and parks without any expiration before the July sunset clause enforcement, the return of Bupyeong Camp Market and confirmation of military base relocation, the full-scale construction of the inter-Korean Peace Road (Yeongjong~Sindo connecting bridge), and the groundbreaking of Cheongna City Tower after 13 years. Among these, the long-unexecuted park projects were recognized as the best institution by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport by seeking solutions through public-private councils, and along with the military base relocation achievements, these are considered the projects Mayor Park takes the most pride in.

One more to add is the successful establishment of Incheon City's local currency 'Incheon e-eum (electronic gift certificate)'. Currently, there are 1.22 million subscribers, which is about one in three Incheon citizens, and the cumulative payment amount exceeds 2.8 trillion won. In business terms, it is a blockbuster product. Although there is still controversy over the national and city government budget burden due to cashback of a portion of the payment amount (10% until August) to users, it is regarded as a practical measure to revitalize the local economy and support small business owners amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, Incheon had the highest rate of out-of-region consumption among all special and metropolitan cities nationwide, but a Bank of Korea report shows that the use of the Incheon e-eum card increased in-region consumption rates, boosting sales for small business owners.

However, considering that these series of achievements have not been properly communicated to citizens and media evaluations have been stingy, one cannot help but think about Mayor Park's presence. At a recent meeting with reporters, he jokingly responded to criticism that he does not seize issues as much as Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon or Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung by saying, "I think articles are not written well because I am not a presidential candidate." As he said, every word of the two metropolitan leaders always becomes news, and even if the same policies are announced, the weight those two cities carry is greater than that of Incheon.

However, if Mayor Park does not dream of becoming a presidential candidate anyway, shouldn't he at least have the stature of a local government head who can give a solid presence to Incheon citizens? Although Mayor Park has consistently emphasized since the beginning of his term that "I will not become a mayor chasing popularity with re-election in mind," as his presence grows, popularity naturally follows, and even if he does not desire it, a green light for re-election inevitably comes.

One way for Mayor Park to definitely stand out during the remaining two years of his not-so-long term is to solve long-standing issues. The termination of the use of the Sudokwon Landfill Site, which no previous mayor has been able to resolve, could be a representative example. Former Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok barely reached an agreement in 2015 with the Ministry of Environment and the three metropolitan cities and provinces to end the use of the Sudokwon Landfill Site by 2025, but if an alternative landfill site is not created within this period, permanent use is practically possible, so Seoul and Gyeonggi Province seem to have no urgency.

Therefore, Incheon City plans to pressure Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to end the current Sudokwon Landfill Site agreement by proposing the construction of its own landfill and incineration plant. The termination of the Sudokwon Landfill Site is not simply about refusing to accept other cities' waste while enduring further damage, but also significant in that Incheon leads a major shift in resource circulation policies such as reducing waste volume and expanding eco-friendly household waste incineration facilities.

The key is whether Mayor Park can push forward the termination of the Sudokwon Landfill Site without worrying about the eyes of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, which have local government heads from the same party, and the Ministry of Environment. If no momentum is shown during the remaining term, it will be difficult to avoid criticism that the metropolitan waste issue, led by the previous city government, has regressed. In that case, Mayor Park's presence will only become more faint than now.