Park Jumin Announces Seoul Mayoral Bid: "Will Make Seoul a Special City of Fundamentals and Opportunity"

Park Jumin: "Seoul under Oh Sehoon will be different"
On questions about Jeong Wonoh: "No need for overinterpretation"

Park Jumin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, officially declared his candidacy for Seoul mayor in the June 3 local elections next year on the 11th, stating, "I will create Seoul as a Special City of Fundamentals and a Special City of Opportunity."

Park Jumin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is declaring his candidacy for Seoul mayor on the 11th at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Park, who is serving his third term, held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul that day, saying, "I propose a transformation and leap forward for Seoul."

He emphasized, "Seoul is a city where uprisings have occurred, but also a city that has overcome them. Next year's Seoul mayoral election is not just a simple choice-it is an election to show our resolve so that forces of insurrection can no longer take root in this land, and it is a chance for us to collectively reset the direction of Seoul."

He continued, "When a single leader changes, the country changes as well. Just as Lee Jaemyung's Korea and Yoon Sukyeol's Korea are different, Park Jumin's Seoul and Oh Sehoon's Seoul will undoubtedly be different."

He further stressed, "Seoul must be a city that guarantees the basics so that no citizen's life falls to the bottom. It must be a city of opportunity where anyone can fully realize their potential."

As his campaign pledges, Park proposed: ▲ Restructuring Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH) as a dedicated agency for housing supply and management ▲ Establishing an integrated care safety net for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities ▲ Restarting the construction of the Gangbuk Crosstown Line, Mokdong Line, and Seobu Line ▲ Stabilizing prices through improvements in distribution structure ▲ Building an artificial intelligence (AI) civic education platform ▲ Establishing a research and development (R&D) cluster in Gangbuk.

Regarding recent speculation that the "Myungshim" (loyalty to Lee Jaemyung) may now be with Jeong Wonoh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, after President Lee Jaemyung's public praise of him, Park drew a line, saying, "There is no need to overinterpret this." He added, "President Lee publicly praises many people through various channels."

When asked about his strategy to differentiate himself from other candidates within the party, Park said, "I have often achieved results by tackling tasks that others avoided or found difficult, using imagination and persuasion." He cited examples such as sponsoring amendments to the Commercial Act, introducing the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and revising the Military Court Act.