Kim Hyun-gi, the most senior member of the current Seoul Metropolitan Council with four terms served, delivered his final plenary remarks Thursday afternoon, saying he wants to "remain a parliamentarian forever." Kim became the first sitting Seoul council speaker to win election as a Seoul district mayor.
The final plenary address by Kim Hyun-gi, the outgoing speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council whose term ends this month, carried a message that observers say goes well beyond a simple farewell.
Kim, who won the Gangnam-gu district mayoral race in the June 3 local elections, used a five-minute open-floor speech at the council's plenary session Thursday afternoon to mark the close of his 16-year tenure. "I am wrapping up 16 years at the Seoul Metropolitan Council," he said. "Four election wins and one defeat — it was a position I did not deserve and a special honor. I am grateful for the consideration and support of my fellow council members and public officials."
The remarks drew particular attention because they were the final words of a politician who served 16 years as a city council member — including a term as council speaker — before moving to lead a district administration as its mayor.
What stood out most was his declaration: "I want to remain a parliamentarian forever."
A parliamentarian, in this sense, is someone who respects the rule of law and due process, shapes policy through thorough deliberation and consensus, and upholds majority decisions while honoring minority views. The term also carries a political philosophy that prizes resolving conflict through dialogue and negotiation, and values the legislature's role in checking executive power.
The remark was widely read as a signal that even after taking office as Gangnam-gu district mayor, Kim intends to govern through close communication and cooperation with the Gangnam-gu Council rather than through unilateral administrative decisions.
A terminology shift Kim proposed that day pointed in the same direction.
He suggested replacing the existing phrase "balanced development between northern and southern Seoul" with simply "balanced development of Seoul."
The proposal reflects a view that Seoul's development gap should not be framed merely as a north-south divide, but that disparities within northern Seoul and within southern Seoul also need to be addressed. The underlying message was a call to pursue balanced growth across the city as a whole, rather than casting the issue as a rivalry between specific districts.
The 16 years Kim spent at the Seoul Metropolitan Council — simultaneously checking and cooperating with the Seoul Metropolitan Government — are expected to serve as a valuable asset as he leads the Gangnam-gu administration.
His experience stretches from learning the mechanics of legislative operations as a National Assembly aide, through his years as a city council member and ultimately as council speaker. That background gives him a deeper understanding of the relationship between the administration and the legislature than most.
Ultimately, Kim's final speech was more than a look back at the past. It was read as both a pledge to uphold the spirit of parliamentarism even after leaving the council, and an early declaration of his governing philosophy as district mayor — one that places a premium on cooperative governance and procedural integrity.
The success or failure of an administration often hinges not only on policy itself but on the trust and cooperation built with the legislature. In that light, Kim's parting words — "a parliamentarian forever" — are likely to stand as a symbolic statement encapsulating the direction he intends to take Gangnam-gu.
Whether the title of first Seoul district mayor to have served as Seoul Metropolitan Council speaker will prove to be a crowning achievement remains to be seen as his next chapter unfolds.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
