Park Young-sun, from the '4.5-Day Workweek' to the Controversy over the 'University Song Festival' Even During the Lunar New Year Holiday

Last Day of the Holiday Trip to Gangdong-gu Dunchon Library: "Completing the Green Planned City Gangdong"

At Seoul Station Visit: "Public Institutions Responsible for Safety Should Apply a 4.5-Day Workweek First"
Appeared on Clubhouse at 10 PM: Mentioned "I Was a College Music Festival Participant"

Former National Assembly Speaker Moon Heesang Supports... Three Former Ministers Also Join

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Park Young-sun, former Minister of SMEs and Startups, who is running in the Seoul mayoral by-election, expanded her connection with voters during the Lunar New Year holiday period by revealing not only her pledges but also behind-the-scenes stories from before her political career.

◆From Seoul Station to Clubhouse takeover = On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 14th, former Minister Park chose Dunchon Library in Gangdong-gu as her destination. Holding the weekly Sunday event "21-minute Compact City Experience," Park continued her urban planning tour by visiting Dunchon Library in Gangdong-gu for the third time, following Chang-dong in Dobong-gu and Magok District in Gangseo-gu. She had previously experienced the "Seoul Arena & Platform Chang-dong 61" in Chang-dong and the "Life-oriented Smart City" in Magok District. This time, she planned to experience an "eco-friendly city." Dunchon Library is a good example for envisioning a "Seoul energy self-sufficient city centered on 21 living zones," as it is designed as a "zero-energy building" with enhanced insulation functions and uses renewable energy such as solar power, achieving an energy self-sufficiency rate exceeding 50%.

Photo by Former Minister Park Young-sun's Office Provided

Former Minister Park showed a busy schedule throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, moving between offline and online activities. On the 12th, she visited Seoul Station to meet and encourage railway workers. Park said, "I came to meet those who serve as the hands and feet of citizens without rest even during the holidays," adding, "I will do my best to make Seoul a city that can unite for quarantine and quickly recover to normal life."

On her Facebook that day, she reiterated her pledge for a 4.5-day workweek, saying, "After visiting Seoul Station, I became even more determined."

Park said, "I visited railway workers who cannot rest even during Lunar New Year. With 320 trips per day and about 300,000 expected passengers daily, the pride that no confirmed cases occurred on KTX due to thorough quarantine over the past year seemed to ease the fatigue of holiday work."

She added, "Park Young-sun believes that the 4.5-day workweek should be applied starting from public institutions responsible for safety," emphasizing, "Only then can we create a safer Seoul."

Park previously proposed the 4.5-day workweek at a youth policy meeting hosted by the Democratic Party on the 8th. She stated, "The 4.5-day workweek is connected to various welfare issues such as youth, jobs, and childcare," and expressed her desire to establish the 4.5-day workweek if she becomes the mayor of Seoul.

At 10 p.m. that day, she appeared on the voice-based chat app "Clubhouse" for an hour-long session titled "Hilarious Chat with Park Young-sun and Jung Cheong-rae," engaging in candid conversations on various topics with about 330 users.

Park introduced an anecdote about her entry into politics, mentioning former President Roh Moo-hyun, saying, "I accidentally entered politics and have been like this ever since," starting the chat with a self-introduction.

At the session, Park also shared that she was a participant in the college song festival. She said, "I made it to the finals, but my father was conservative and opposed me becoming a singer or even joining a broadcasting company," revealing the difficulties she faced. She also recalled that the most difficult time in her life was when she failed in the Sewol ferry negotiations during her tenure as floor leader, saying, "At that time, Representative Jung Cheong-rae also told me to resign, which was disappointing."

◆Accelerating party support... Support from former National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang = Compared to other candidates who entered the Seoul mayoral race at the end of last year, former Minister Park started somewhat late, but recent polls show her leading as the top candidate among pro-government camp contenders. Surveys measuring suitability against both ruling and opposition candidates also indicate her advantage.

Amid this momentum, Park is expanding her outreach to voters while also focusing on winning support within the Democratic Party.

Photo by Park Young-sun, former minister's office provided

During the Lunar New Year holiday, she sought advice from Moon Hee-sang, a prominent pro-Moon Jae-in figure and former National Assembly Speaker. Park served as the first female chief secretary when Moon was party chairman. Personally, Moon is also a friend’s older brother, and Park’s side explained that she has been inspired by the history of democracy since high school.

On the 13th, Moon met with Park and encouraged her, saying, "Park Young-sun’s leadership is unlike anyone else’s," and "Once she becomes mayor of Seoul, she will firmly take charge of the city and manage the administration thoroughly with her unique drive." He also offered words of encouragement, "I believe she will definitely win."

Three former ministers who served as cabinet members during Park’s tenure as Minister of SMEs and Startups also joined her campaign. Former Defense Minister Jung Kyung-doo, former Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae, and former Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Yang-woo agreed to serve as advisory group leaders in the fields of security, environment and urban affairs, and culture and arts, respectively.

Regarding this, Park said, "I feel like I have gained a great army," and expressed her expectation that "the experience and insight of top experts in each field will greatly help in designing Seoul’s future."

The "citizen spokespersons" who were active in Park’s 2018 Seoul mayoral primary campaign have reunited.

There are four in total, including Chief Citizen Spokesperson Ga Young-jin, who connected with Park through activities with the "Green Mothers’ Association," spokesperson Jeon Seong-gi, a "father of many children," spokesperson Yang In-jun, a shoemaker from Seongsu-dong representing startups and self-employed workers, and spokesperson Jung Da-hye from a sewing factory who pointed out youth job issues. In this by-election, the number of citizen spokespersons has increased to 10, and they will be responsible for discussing life-oriented policies and proposing alternatives that meet citizens’ perspectives.