Why Did the ‘Jjandoli District Mayor’ Even Cut Festival Budget?

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, Cuts This Year's Saeujeot Festival Budget by 90 Million KRW (15%) Compared to Last Year, Sparking Attention

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, is beating a drum to announce the opening of the 16th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival on the 20th.

Not only Seoul citizens but also residents of the metropolitan area have been flocking to the Peace Plaza area of Mapo World Cup Park since the 20th.

This is because the 16th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival, hosted by Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Gang-su), is being held for three days from the 20th to the 22nd.

Held ahead of the autumn kimchi-making season, this festival has become a popular event that seniors visit every year as a representative festival of Seoul.

Park Gang-su, the mayor of Mapo-gu who leads this representative autumn festival of Seoul, has drawn attention this year by reducing the budget for the Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival by about 15%. Last year’s festival budget was 700 million won, but this year it has been reduced to 610 million won.

Mayor Park recently explained, “Last year’s Saeujeot Festival budget was created during the 7th local government term, so this year’s budget is one that I personally made.”

This is also a very low scale compared to the Songpa-gu Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival budget of about 2 billion won, which was held over three days last month, being about one-third of that amount.

This budget reduction appears to reflect Mayor Park Gang-su’s usual philosophy of frugality. He often tells his staff, “If it were your own money, would you spend the budget extravagantly?” and carefully reviews every project conducted by the district office.

Mayor Park is known as a ‘stingy mayor’ who has a habit of saving money ingrained in him. He even settles for meals like Sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) for lunch.

One representative example of Mayor Park’s best work since taking office is the ‘Hongdae Entrance Red Road,’ where he recycled flower pots. It is known that residents appreciated the reuse of discarded wood as flower pots for the Red Road.

He also carefully refines discarded road curbs and recycles them as paving blocks. Since taking office, he has notably redesigned convenience facilities near the Danginri Power Plant to secure parking lots, saving hundreds of millions of won in budget, which is well known.

In this way, Mayor Park’s ingrained habit of frugality is gradually taking root in the management of Mapo-gu.

Moreover, due to the economic downturn, government and Seoul city support have significantly decreased, making next year’s budget formulation difficult, but Mayor Park consistently emphasizes not to waste even a single won.

Park Gang-su, who participated in the local community movement in Mapo-gu while campaigning for the relocation of the Danginri Power Plant, was originally a businessman and an idea bank who once held about 60 patents.

Mayor Park’s good relationship with the district council suggests that passing this year’s budget, including support for senior citizens’ filial piety meals, will not be difficult.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival, the 21st, a residents’ walking contest and other events are scheduled to take place.