Oh Se-hoon, Emergency Economic Meeting with Autonomous Districts... "Important Role of Local Governments Amid Chaos"

"Please Thoroughly Prepare Safety Measures"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held an emergency economic meeting attended by autonomous districts and emphasized, "In a situation where national stability may be difficult, Seoul City and the autonomous districts must prioritize the livelihood economy and citizen safety and remain steadfastly focused on their fundamental duties."

On the 12th, Mayor Oh held an emergency economic meeting with officials from autonomous districts at Seoul City Hall. All 25 autonomous districts of Seoul attended, including 15 district mayors, such as Lee Pil-hyung, chairman of the District Mayors' Association (Dongdaemun District Mayor), and 10 deputy district mayors.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is speaking at the emergency economic meeting on tourism held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

First, Mayor Oh requested safety measures regarding recent rallies held throughout Seoul. He said, "Despite political turmoil, Seoul's safety and order are being maintained without wavering," and added, "As many citizens are expected to attend rallies this weekend as well, I ask each autonomous district to thoroughly manage crowds and prepare safety measures."

He also stressed the importance of local governments amid the chaotic situation following the emergency martial law declared on December 3rd. Mayor Oh stated, "While citizen safety and order remain firm, the economy faces great uncertainty," and "In the midst of political turmoil, the role of local governments is truly important to protect citizens' daily lives." He cited the example of Belgium, where despite the national government failing to form a cabinet, stable local government operations led to economic growth and citizens maintaining their daily lives.

Mayor Oh told the autonomous district officials, "Regardless of political ideology or party affiliation, everyone must unite to alleviate citizens' anxieties and do their best to restore the economy," and added, "Just as we successfully overcame the COVID-19 crisis together in the past, Seoul City will overcome the current crisis with the district mayors."

Previously, Mayor Oh has been holding daily emergency economic meetings since the 10th. Discussions with economic organizations such as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry focused on support for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners. Seoul City announced it would expedite the execution of budgets related to SMEs and small business owners and hasten the disbursement of approximately 2.7 trillion won in job creation budgets.

The day before, through a meeting with the tourism industry, the message that "Seoul is safe" was emphasized. Mayor Oh said at the meeting, "Reservations in all sectors such as hotels, airlines, and travel have been declining (as of the previous day), and there was a request for the Seoul mayor to directly send the message that Seoul is safe to the world through foreign media interviews," and added, "We will definitely do so."