[Local Election Interview] Jeon Hyunhee: "Experience Resolving 10 Million Civil Complaints... I Will Use It to Protect Citizens' Rights"

"The city of Seoul is like a small country...working in sync with the presidential office is crucial"
"The Lee administration's national agenda will be implemented first in Seoul"
"A conservative-leaning Seoul...a candidate with competitiveness in Gangnam is the right fit"

"Every year, between 10 million and as many as 15 million civil complaints are filed through the E-People system, and I want to use the experience I gained resolving them for the protection of citizens' rights to work for the rights of the people of Seoul."

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeon Hyunhee, who has declared her candidacy for mayor of Seoul in the 9th nationwide local elections to be held on June 3, said in an interview with The Asia Business Daily at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 20th, "As someone who has worked as a dentist, a lawyer, a member of the National Assembly, and chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, I can be the most useful tool for the Seoul Metropolitan Government," adding that she can do the job of Seoul mayor better than anyone.

Jeon Hyunhee, a prospective candidate for Seoul mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea, is being interviewed on the 20th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

She was particularly confident that her three years of experience in running state affairs as chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission could be applied most effectively to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. "Every year, between 10 million and as many as 15 million civil complaints are filed through the E-People system. That means one out of every four to five citizens files a complaint, and we analyzed these complaints as big data to solve various problems," she said.

One of the issues she resolved was the "realignment of brokerage commissions to half-price levels." In 2020, when Jeon was appointed chairperson of the commission, real estate prices were soaring, and dissatisfaction with brokerage commissions was also growing. Complaints that brokerage commissions of up to 0.9% of the transaction value were unbearable were cited as the most frequently filed civil complaints that year. Jeon then used the "People's Idea Box" platform to gather ideas from the public on how to resolve the issue and launched institutional reforms to achieve half-price brokerage commissions. In the process, she consulted not only with real estate agent associations but also with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the competent government ministry, and succeeded in bringing about institutional improvements.

"The city of Seoul is practically a small country, so it must work in close sync with the presidential office and communicate with each government ministry to draw out policies favorable to Seoul. My experience as chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission was exactly that kind of experience," she said.

She also stressed that she is the only Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor who has ever won an election in Gangnam. Jeon was elected in the 20th general election in the Seoul Gangnam constituency.

Jeon's flagship pledge is the "construction of the Seoul Dome Arena." She is proposing to demolish the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in eastern Seoul and build the Seoul Dome Arena, a multi-purpose complex facility, on the site. "DDP is a symbol of Mayor Oh Sehoon's showy administration and vanity politics," Jeon said. "The land alone is worth 3 trillion won, and 500 billion won was spent on construction, yet its annual revenue is only 16.6 billion won. In contrast, the Seoul Dome Complex Arena can generate 12 trillion won in annual revenue," she argued.

She also pledged to build "Yoonseul," 50-story public rental housing for young people, on prime sites across Seoul, including the former site of Seoul Medical Center at Samseong Station, which she secured while serving as chairperson of the commission. On the Yongdap-dong site, she said she would not only build housing for young people but also operate autonomous vehicles and create a test-bed city that leads a next-generation mobility revolution with urban air mobility (UAM) and drone taxis in operation.

Jeon Hyunhee, a preliminary candidate for Seoul mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving an interview at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The following is a Q&A.

- What made you decide to run?

▲ I want to use my diverse experience for the people of Seoul. Also, Seoul is a highly conservative city, and as the only candidate who has ever won in Gangnam, I felt a sense of responsibility and wanted to be of at least some use in helping the Democratic Party win the Seoul mayoral election.

- What do you consider your strengths?

▲ I have experience working in sync with President Lee Jaemyung as part of the party leadership. I have consistently worked with him in confronting the rebellion and in the process of bringing that rebellion to an end. We share a strong consensus on the philosophy of state affairs. As mayor of Seoul, I believe I am the candidate who can work closely with the president in Cabinet meetings and be the first to implement national governance in the city of Seoul. My competitiveness in the general election is also a strength. At present, except for me, all the Democratic Party candidates for Seoul mayor have done their politics in the northern part of the city. I, Jeon Hyunhee, have the greatest chance of winning, both in terms of my ability to expand support and my appeal to conservative voters.

- In your declaration of candidacy, you pledged to dismantle DDP. Why?

▲ When DDP was first built, it was said that it would generate 5.4 trillion won in economic benefits for Seoul over the next 30 years, but that has not been the case. Its interior layout is like a maze, so while exhibitions and fashion shows are being held, the space is said to be poorly utilized. Even so, its annual earnings are only around 16.6 billion won. In contrast, according to a study by the Seoul Tourism Organization, a government-funded research institute, the Seoul Dome Complex Arena would generate 12 trillion won in economic benefits per year. The Seoul city budget is about 51 trillion won per year, so an annual effect of 12 trillion won amounts to roughly one-third of that. This alone can become a growth engine for Seoul. The idea is to usher in a new golden era for the northern part of the city, centered on Dongdaemun.

- What other real estate policies are you proposing?

▲ Seoul is aging rapidly. The population once exceeded 10 million, but now it is around 9.3 million. The birth rate is only about 0.55. This is largely because most young people are moving out to Gyeonggi Province. We need to create a city where young people can actually live. I will build "Seoul Yoonseul," public rental housing for young people. It will not be the kind of rental housing we usually imagine, but the most stylish and sophisticated spaces that young people want to live in. On prime sites across the city, including the former Seoul Medical Center site in Samseong-dong, I will build 50-story Yoonseul apartment complexes. I will also create a special arts district by utilizing the SETEC site in Gangnam. With a love for Gangnam and a respect for the northern districts, I want to achieve a grand unification of Seoul.

- Another candidate for Seoul mayor, Jeong Wonoh, is the head of Seongdong District, and you are also from Seongdong. What sets you apart from him?

▲ Not long ago, District Mayor Jeong caused controversy by posting, and then deleting, a message that effectively welcomed the first-trial verdict in Yoon Seokyeol's rebellion case. I think his lack of experience in central politics has left him with weak political instincts when it comes to reading the party's sentiment. In administration, there is national government, city government, and district government, and District Mayor Jeong has experience only at the district level. I, on the other hand, have experience at the national level, so the level of experience is different.

- Do you think the Democratic Party can win the Seoul mayoral election this time?

▲ We must not be complacent. When former Prime Minister Han Myeongsook lost the Seoul mayoral election in the past, she won in 22 out of 25 districts. But she was defeated because Mayor Oh received a landslide of votes in the three Gangnam districts. At that time, the population of Seoul was 10 million, but now the population has declined, and the city has become more aged and more conservative. In the recent presidential election as well, if you look only at the binary contest between progressives and conservatives, the progressive camp lost in Seoul. The electoral landscape is more difficult now than it was in former Prime Minister Han's time. The key is who can win the most votes in the Han River belt area. That is why I say that I, with my competitiveness in Gangnam, am the most competitive candidate.