Appointment of 9 Members for the 5th Term of Seoul Honorary Mayors as "Companionship and Charm Special City"

Inauguration Ceremony of the 5th Seoul Special City Honorary Mayor to Accompany the 8th Elected Seoul City Administration
Key Areas of City Administration for Accompanying the Vulnerable and Restoring Urban Competitiveness

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] In line with the launch of the 8th term of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul City has finalized the selection of 9 honorary mayors for the 5th term in nine fields: youth, disabled, small business owners, single-person households, education, tourism, urban safety, smart city, and urban planning. The appointment ceremony will be held on the 22nd at the 8th floor conference room of the Seoul City Hall main building.

The honorary mayor system has been operated since 2016 to reflect the vivid opinions of citizens in city administration. The 5th term honorary mayors were selected through an open recruitment process, choosing individuals with influence and expertise in key administrative areas to align with the 8th term Seoul administration philosophy of accompanying the vulnerable and restoring urban competitiveness.

The selected honorary mayors are ▲Youth Honorary Mayor Yoo Yong-jae (currently enrolled in the integrated master's and doctoral program in Industrial Engineering at Seoul National University) ▲Disabled Honorary Mayor Park Maru (President of Bokji TV) ▲Small Business Honorary Mayor Park Jae-hwi (CEO of Ironman 7 Hongdae Branch) ▲Single-Person Household Honorary Mayor Ahn Yurina (Editor-in-Chief of 1conomy News) ▲Education Honorary Mayor Bae Sang-hoon (Professor of Education at Sungkyunkwan University) ▲Tourism Honorary Mayor Bae In-ho (CEO of Travelolution Co., Ltd.) ▲Urban Safety Honorary Mayor Choi Young-il (employee at WTC Seoul Co., Ltd.) ▲Smart City Honorary Mayor Kim Byung-jun (CEO of Hantech) ▲Urban Planning Honorary Mayor Koo Ja-hoon (Professor at Hanyang University Graduate School of Urban Studies).

Seoul City plans to revitalize the honorary mayor system, which had been somewhat stagnant due to COVID-19, and operate honorary mayors in key policy areas of the 8th term administration. The honorary mayors serve as unpaid honorary positions for one year. They will participate in various meetings and events in cooperation with related departments, conveying citizens' voices from the field, exchanging opinions as needed when issues arise, and engaging in activities such as proposing and advising on city administration matters.

Choi Won-seok, Director of Citizen Communication Planning, stated, “We will actively support the honorary mayors selected in each field of Seoul City to become practical communication channels that enhance the field relevance and effectiveness of policies and incorporate citizens' opinions into city administration.” He added, “We expect the 8th term honorary mayor group to actively engage in each field to increase citizens' perception of the projects promoted to create a companion and attractive special city, Seoul.”