Seogangseok, Songpa District Mayor, Holds Emergency Meeting on Itaewon Disaster on the Morning of the 31st, Visits Site to Pay Condolences... Kim Kyungho, Gwangjin District Mayor, Volunteers at Flooded Households in Bangbaedong during August Heavy Rain, Setting an Exemplary Public Official Standard by Not Overlooking Others' Suffering and Receiving Positive Evaluations
Seogang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District (center), visited the Itaewon disaster site on the morning of the 31st to offer condolences to the victims and survey the surroundings.
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The distinctive actions of Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District, and Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin District, have become a hot topic.
On the morning of the 31st, Mayor Seo convened an emergency meeting with officials regarding the Itaewon tragedy, checked Songpa District’s response status, and immediately rushed to the Yongsan disaster site to offer condolences.
Regarding this, Mayor Seo wrote on Facebook, “It was unbelievable that such a great tragedy occurred in that narrow and short alleyway, resulting in 154 victims and 149 injured.” He also added, “I cannot suppress my sorrowful heart and pray for the repose of the victims,” concluding with, “Songpa District will pay even more meticulous attention to supporting the victims of the tragedy and urban safety.”
It is analyzed that Mayor Seo showed sincerity by promptly visiting the site, as the Itaewon tragedy did not feel like someone else’s problem to him.
Mayor Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin District also received praise for sweating alongside Gwangjin volunteer workers in restoring flood damage in the residential area of Seocho District after the heavy rain on August 8.
On August 13, Mayor Kim and Gwangjin volunteers visited Bangbae 2-dong in Seocho District and worked hard on flood recovery volunteer activities. Mayor Kim and 35 Gwangjin volunteers immediately began removing muddy water from six flooded households and commercial establishments, starting to clear mud and debris from the floors.
Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin District, is volunteering at households affected by flooding in Bangbae 2-dong on August 13.
Wiping away the sweat streaming down continuously, they moved broken and wet furniture and home appliances outside, wiped the water-filled floors, and rolled up their sleeves all day long for the citizens affected by the flood damage.
On the morning of the 31st, Mayor Kim notified the emergency response meeting regarding the Itaewon tragedy in the executives’ group chat at 7 a.m., convened the meeting, and busily gave instructions such as setting up a memorial altar.
In this way, Mayors Seo Gang-seok of Songpa District and Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin District have received positive evaluations for showing exceptional leadership as Seoul district mayors by visiting the sites to offer condolences and participating in volunteer activities, even though these were not directly their responsibilities.
Mayors Seo and Kim are senior and junior colleagues from the administrative examination, both former high-ranking officials (Grade 1) in Seoul City, and were elected as district mayors in the 8th local election.
It is evaluated that the two mayors demonstrated actions that shine in difficult times, ingrained from over 30 years of administrative experience.
Because of this, there are also remarks that a high level of expertise is required for district mayors to meet the increasingly complex administrative demands. Especially when dealing with difficult situations, the capabilities of the heads of organizations become apparent.
An executive from a Seoul autonomous district commented, “As seen in the cases of Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District, and Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin District, both showed exemplary leadership shining in difficult situations, which makes me proud,” giving high praise.
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