Jin Gyo-hoon, Elected Mayor of Seoul Gangseo-gu, Begins Public Activities the Day After Election... Former Mayor Kim Tae-woo Concedes Defeat at Hwagok Station Intersection
Elections are war. Winners and losers are treated with starkly different respect, as different as heaven and earth.
The clear will of the people is expressed through elections, the flower of democracy. The upcoming October 11 by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo District in Seoul attracted even more attention as it was the last election to confirm the public's will before next year's 22nd general election.
This is why the election, which chose just one local government head nationwide, saw the full mobilization of both ruling and opposition party leaderships.
The result was that Jin Gyo-hoon, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, defeated Kim Tae-woo of the People Power Party by a margin of 17.15 percentage points, completely reversing their statuses on election day.
The day after his victory, on the morning of the 12th, Mayor Jin began his schedule with a visit to the National Cemetery.
He then received reports on the current status of district administration from the heads of district offices and immediately headed to the field to address citizens' livelihoods.
He pledged to actively implement his campaign promise made during the by-election period?“Safe, Secure, Livelihood-focused Mayor”?starting from his first day in office. The first place Mayor Jin visited was the candidate site for the Hogok 2-dong Urban Public Housing Complex Project. Since his candidacy, Mayor Jin has shown strong determination to vigorously promote redevelopment and reconstruction in the old downtown area. He received progress reports on the project and personally inspected the poor residential environment in Hogok-dong (see photo above).
He also met with redevelopment volunteer groups from Hogok 2, 4, and 8-dong, listened attentively to their voices from the field, and repeatedly promised to expedite redevelopment and reconstruction in the old downtown area.
Mayor Jin said, “As the mayor, I will take responsibility and push forward all possible initiatives within the district office as quickly as possible, sparing no administrative support. The Hogok 2-dong Urban Public Housing Complex Project will be a model project and a major starting point to transform Hogok-dong.”
Mayor Jin then visited the Gangseo Integrated Control Center, responsible for citizens' safety, to personally inspect the operation status of local closed-circuit televisions (CCTV).
He visited the comprehensive control room to check the performance of the intelligent (AI) selective monitoring system and carefully examined whether CCTV installations were appropriate in location and number, ensuring no deficiencies in the operation of the control center closely linked to residents' safety.
Mayor Jin stated, “There are limits to monitoring everything visually. Intelligent (AI) CCTV must be installed in the right places to reduce crime rates and to respond accurately and swiftly to various emergencies such as incidents and accidents.” He added, “In cases where old CCTV equipment makes it difficult to see people clearly or identify them at night, we will continuously install high-performance CCTV in crime-vulnerable areas based on precise data analysis to create a safe and secure Gangseo.”
In the afternoon, Mayor Jin visited Hogok Bon-dong Market to hear merchants' difficulties and then inspected the 'Gangseo District Safety Education Center' and the flood control facility 'Gaehwa Yukgapmun.'
On the 13th, at the first regular staff assembly held in the district office's underground situation room, Mayor Jin outlined the direction for future district administration. He said, “Devoting myself to district administration is my duty to the citizens of Gangseo. As the full-fledged mayor of Gangseo, I will focus solely on the citizens and work to normalize district administration by making every minute and second count to fill the administrative gap.” He continued, “The goal of administration is to listen carefully to citizens' voices from their perspective and to resolve even minor inconveniences they face in daily life. I will focus and actively push forward to solve citizens' inconveniences.”
He emphasized that for this, it is important for all staff to unite with one heart and mind, break down barriers between departments, connect, collaborate, and coordinate their tasks to resolve citizens' inconveniences. He also reiterated, “When handling civil complaints, before making judgments based on laws, procedures, and guidelines, it is crucial to listen to citizens' voices, deeply understand their inconveniences, and find solutions through a citizen-centered administrative approach.” Finally, Mayor Jin promised, “Together with all staff, I will unite our efforts to carry out administration solely for the citizens so that the people of Gangseo can feel proud and take pride in living here.”
Jin Gyo-hoon, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul (third from the left in the front), is raising both hands to cheer for the safe completion of the participants at the 2023 Heo Jun Marathon on the 14th.
On the morning of the 14th, Mayor Jin visited the 2023 Heo Jun Marathon event to wish participants a safe completion and delivered words of encouragement.
Mayor Jin said, “I sincerely thank all participants, including Gangseo citizens, who came to join the first-ever Heo Jun Marathon held in Gangseo. Please be especially careful about safety while running along the Han River, and I hope everyone finishes healthily without injury.”
The Heo Jun Marathon, held for the first time since the opening of the Gangseo District Office, was a great success with about 3,000 participants, including marathon clubs and family groups.
In contrast, former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo, who lost the election, bowed his head while greeting supporters.
The day after losing the election, on the 12th, former Mayor Kim greeted supporters at the Hogok Station intersection.
He displayed a banner that read, “I do not cry over losing; I cry because of your support.”
He also held a camp disbandment ceremony and wrote, “I was very lacking. Everyone worked very hard. I owe a great debt.”
He reportedly continued greeting commuters at the Hogok Station intersection on the 13th, marking the second day of such activity, and expressed his intention to continue these greetings for the time being.
Former Mayor Kim, who transformed from a civil servant to a politician after winning the Gangseo District Mayor position in the June 13 local elections last year, appears to be preparing for his next steps.
The election is now over. The winner must bear heavy responsibility, not forget the initial resolve during the election, and serve the citizens with humility.
Likewise, the loser should reflect on themselves and seriously consider what kind of service they can offer to the community in the future.
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