"I Am the 'ChoiGPT Mayor': Putting Residents First Is True Local Autonomy"...Ho-Kwon Choi, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District

Interview with Ho-Kwon Choi, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District
Communicative Administration through KakaoTalk Responses to Residents' Inconveniences
"A Thorough Local Autonomy Advocate
Resident-Centered Administration, Not Partisan Politics"

Ho-Kwon Choi, the mayor of Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul (age 63), refers to himself as "ChoiGPT Mayor." The business cards he hands out to residents also bear the title "ChoiGPT Mayor."

He said, "While the mayor's pledges are important, it is more crucial to allocate the budget first to address residents' inconveniences or areas that urgently need improvement," and added, "Just like ChatGPT, which immediately responds and provides solutions when a user requests something, I included this on my business card to express my intention to communicate conveniently and resolve issues effectively."

Cho Hogwon, mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, introduced himself as a "thorough local autonomy advocate" and emphasized the importance of resident autonomy and daily life autonomy. Provided by Yeongdeungpo District.

When the QR code on his business card was scanned, a one-on-one KakaoTalk chat window with the mayor opened. After sending a brief greeting via KakaoTalk, the mayor, sitting across the table, immediately replied.

I met Mayor Choi, who emphasized that he is a "thorough local autonomy advocate," in his office on July 14. He said, "Earlier this month, we opened the Singil Chaekmaru Cultural Center, and thanks to users sending their initial inconveniences via KakaoTalk, we were able to quickly address and resolve those issues." He explained, "When I receive multiple KakaoTalk messages with the same content from different people, I recognize that the situation is serious and take immediate action."

After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in Food Engineering and passing the civil service examination, Mayor Choi became an elected official in July 2022, only eight months after retiring as a career civil servant. Yeongdeungpo District is like his hometown, as he worked there for three years as a junior official. He spent most of his career as a public servant in Seoul, and also held positions such as Policy Secretary to the Seoul Mayor, Administrative Officer at the Blue House, Consul General at the Embassy in India, and Head of the Exhibition and Research Division at the National Gwacheon Science Museum under the Ministry of Science and ICT, working in various departments beyond Seoul City Hall.

Mayor Choi emphasized the advantages of having a district mayor with a civil servant background. He said, "With 20 to 30 years of administrative experience, I understand Seoul's urban planning and development policies, how policies and laws operate, and what is needed. I also have a rich internal network within the civil service, which is a strength when seeking understanding and cooperation." He added, "I instinctively know what to do when there is heavy rain or in disaster situations, thanks to my experience."

Projects such as the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line railway and the redevelopment of the Yeongdeungpo Station jjokbangchon (shantytown) are national-level projects or involve the central government and other agencies, so the district office cannot lead them. However, he explained that helping these projects proceed properly and ensuring that the residents actually living there benefit and are not harmed is the role of an experienced local government head.

Mayor Choi explained, "The reason the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line railway, which politicians have promised for decades, has not happened is not because of unfavorable circumstances, but because there was no relevant law." He continued, "Creating a law means the government establishes a plan, allocates a budget, and starts the project." He shared an anecdote about visiting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as soon as he became mayor to request the creation of a special law for the Gyeongbu Line railway underground project.

In fact, earlier this year, the Ministry of Land began implementing subordinate regulations of the "Special Act on Railway Undergrounding and Integrated Development of Railway Sites (Railway Underground Integrated Development Act)," which is accelerating the undergrounding of railway projects and the development of station areas. The area around Yeongdeungpo Station and the greater Yeongdeungpo District are expected to be the greatest beneficiaries of the creation of a high-density, mixed-use city centered on station areas.

Mayor Choi also compared the railway undergrounding project to the Cheonggyecheon restoration project, which he planned while serving as Policy Secretary to the Seoul Mayor. He said, "The Gyeongbu Line corridor in southwestern Seoul, including Yeongdeungpo District, will become a compact city combining advanced jobs and culture centered on the Fourth Industrial Revolution." He emphasized, "The key is not just planting flowers and trees or creating green spaces where the railway used to be, but making this area a national growth axis and a source of future economic opportunities." He added, "I have already submitted the results of the Yeongdeungpo District development master plan study to Seoul City several times as recommendations."

Since the start of the eighth popularly elected administration, issues directly affecting residents' lives, such as the increasingly active reconstruction and redevelopment of Yeongdeungpo's quasi-industrial zones and the previously stalled redevelopment of the Yeongdeungpo Station jjokbangchon, are being steadily resolved. Considering the large youth population in the area, the district introduced a system to disclose officetel management fee expenditures in real time, and, in response to suggestions from reservist youths, established a free bus service for reservists?both examples of daily life autonomy.

When Cho Kwon Choi, mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, meets residents, he hands out business cards with a QR code that connects them to a one-on-one KakaoTalk chat with the mayor, allowing them to directly send suggestions or complaints via KakaoTalk. Provided by Yeongdeungpo District Office.

Mayor Choi said, "Even if central politics is chaotic and difficult, as long as grassroots democracy is strong, we can protect residents' safety and achieve regional development." He continued, "Since early December last year, when the central government was effectively paralyzed, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Yeongdeungpo District, as local governments, have served as a breakwater, safeguarding residents' safety and livelihoods for the past six months."

Mayor Choi stated, "In daily life autonomy, there is no ruling party or opposition party, and no specific region." He added, "I will do my best to make Yeongdeungpo a place where our neighbors live together and residents' imaginations become reality."