Seoul Tourism Foundation names Kim Byung-min as new CEO

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday that it has appointed Kim Byung-min, former deputy mayor for political affairs, as the new CEO of the Seoul Tourism Foundation.

Kim will lead the foundation for three years starting Monday, working to strengthen Seoul's tourism industry and position the city as a world-class destination.

An administrative expert who holds a doctorate in public administration from Kyung Hee University, Kim has served as a research fellow at Seoul National University's Engineering Research Institute, an adjunct and visiting professor in the public administration department at Kyung Hee University, and deputy mayor for political affairs of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

During his tenure as deputy mayor, Kim built broad experience across city administration and honed his policy coordination skills. As co-chairman of the G3 Seoul Planning Committee, he put forward the vision of making Seoul a "Global Top 3, Quality-of-Life Special City" and led the overall planning of the G3 Seoul Plan, which lays out 100 key tasks.

Announced Thursday, the G3 Seoul Plan outlines Seoul's ambition to rank among the world's top three cities by 2030, committing 86 trillion won ($64.3 billion) toward five future goals — a safe and healthy city, an inclusive growth city, a residential stability city, an opportunity and vitality city, and a spatial innovation city — along with 20 strategic objectives and 100 key tasks.

"I will devote all my efforts to strengthening city branding that showcases Seoul's unique appeal and content to the world, and to making Seoul a global tourism destination by linking the city's key policies — including the promotion of the nighttime economy — with tourism," Kim said.