[Interview] Yoon Yu-jin, Seoul Assembly member-elect

"My goal as a council member is to create changes that residents can feel in their daily lives."

Yoon Yu-jin, a People Power Party member-elect for Songpa District 1 who won a seat on the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council in the June 3 local elections, said she plans to draw on 25 years of tax and accounting expertise to address local issues and stay closely connected to residents.

After spending 16 years and four months at the National Tax Service, Yoon went on to practice as a licensed tax accountant while also lecturing at universities and training financial sector professionals, building experience across both theory and practice.

"Working on the front lines of tax administration, meeting countless people with grievances, I felt deeply the need for systemic reform," she said. "I wanted to do something that directly helps residents, and that's what drove me to enter politics."

A lifelong Seoulite, Yoon said she developed a special affection for Songpa-gu after first becoming aware of the district through the Seoul Olympics as a child — it became the place she most wanted to live. She settled there after getting married and now raises a middle school-aged child in the district.

Asked about her priorities ahead of the council's opening on July 1, Yoon put resolving local issues first. She said she plans to closely examine tax-related ordinances that directly affect residents' lives, particularly those governing property tax exemptions.

"As a former tax accountant, I understand tax-related systems and ordinances better than most," she said. "I will actively work to fix the parts that residents find unreasonable."

Yoon also addressed the challenge of beginning her council tenure as a member of the People Power Party, which is now a minority in the 12th Assembly. "I think it is more meaningful to achieve results in difficult circumstances than to work in a comfortable environment," she said. "Whenever something benefits residents, I will actively cooperate with the opposing party, regardless of political affiliation."

On major pending issues in Songpa-gu — including the Pungnap-dong "moa housing" project, the Jamsil reconstruction project and the swift establishment of a second campus for Jamsil Middle School — she said she would "work closely with relevant agencies to push these long-awaited projects forward with real momentum."

Yoon also weighed in on the low birth rate, saying simply increasing cash incentives for having children would not address the root of the problem. "What matters is creating an environment where working mothers and dual-income households can continue their economic activities stably while raising children," she said.

She added that she intends to focus her legislative work on practical support measures, including expanding flexible work arrangements and strengthening childcare systems.

Having secured 60.28 percent of the vote — the highest share of any candidate in Songpa-gu in the local elections — Yoon said staying in close communication with residents would be a key priority. She said she was struck during the campaign by how much interest students and younger generations showed in politics. "Even after the election, I will consistently communicate with residents and make sure the community's voice is reflected in policy," she said.

She also announced plans to hold regular tax-saving seminars, drawing on her professional background. Having long observed residents struggling with tax issues, she said she wants to provide practical help through periodic seminars and tailored consultations.