District Mayor Park Un-gi pledges to be 'a district mayor for all residents — one who communicates and listens' at inauguration ceremony
Seodaemun-gu District Mayor Park Un-gi held his inauguration ceremony Wednesday afternoon, capping a first day in office that began with his approval of a plan to strengthen resident self-governance councils — a move he said reflected his commitment to putting residents at the center of district administration.
The roughly one-hour ceremony was kept simple, featuring the district mayor's oath of office, congratulatory remarks from guests, a video message of hope from residents and an inaugural address. The event was also livestreamed on YouTube.
In his address, Park reaffirmed his pledge to be "a district mayor for all residents — one who communicates and listens," and expressed hope that resident self-governance councils would play an active role in reflecting community voices across each neighborhood.
The written inaugural address included in the ceremony program stated: "Through cooperation and communication, and through attentive governance that changes lives, I will open a new golden age for Seodaemun."
Park said he would "start from each resident's daily life and turn moments of helplessness and desperation into reassurance, and turn inconvenience into ease." He added that his first priority would be to develop Seodaemun into the central city of the northwestern Seoul area through an improved transportation system and transparent redevelopment projects.
He also outlined his vision for a Seodaemun "where youth potential and the city's future grow together," a "green city where nature and people breathe side by side," and a district that "warmly and safely cares for the lives of everyone, from children to the elderly."
"Administration that makes quick decisions but offers little explanation will struggle to earn residents' trust," Park said. "To fulfill all of these promises, I will rebuild resident self-governance and cooperative administration from the ground up."
He also said he would "respect healthy criticism and checks from the district council, and engage in sufficient explanation and consultation, based on a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation."
Earlier that day, ahead of the ceremony, Park visited the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, where he laid flowers and observed a moment of silence at a memorial bearing the names of independence martyrs. He also visited the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
