Three citizens were selected as honorary vice mayors of the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday under Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s initiative to reflect citizens’ ideas in policy formulation, city officials said Tuesday.
Following his motto, “Citizens are the Mayor,” the city government has so far selected citizens to be one-day mayors.
This time, the city selected citizens to be messengers for ordinary citizens for a year in unpaid positions. There are three incumbent official vice mayors for the municipality.
“We will assist the honorary vice mayors in participating in city affairs so that they can listen to the voices of ordinary citizens and have those voices reflected in city policies,” said Ahn Joon-ho, director in charge of communication.
The competition for the three honorary vice mayor spots was intense, with 26 applications for every one job.
The successful contestants are 47-year-old Yang Won-tae, representing the disabled; 67-year-old Park Jong-hwa, representing the elderly; and 31-year-old Kim Young-gyoung, representing young people.
The three new honorary Seoul vice mayors, Kim Young-gyoung (left), Yang Won-tae (second from left), Park Jong-hwa (right) and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, at the appointment ceremony at Seoul City Hall on Monday. (Yonhap News)
“I will try to draw up city policies for the disabled not focused on their special demands, but from a wide-ranging viewpoint. I will concentrate on improving human rights and helping the physically disadvantaged find housing and jobs,” said Yang, executive director of the Human Rights Forum for Persons with Disabilities in Korea.
Park Jong-hwa, a leader in Seoul’s senior volunteer group, said he would like to foster an environment in which senior citizens can engage in social activities after retirement, whether volunteering or for pay.
Kim Young-gyoung, leader of the Youth Community Union, is also keen to create jobs appropriate for the young generation’s different circumstances and the regions they live in.
“What’s more important for young people is creating jobs that can substantially help their living, not just a superficial statistical increase in the number of jobs,” Kim said.
They are expected to attend a regular meeting with Mayor Park once a month, policy initiative meetings and other city affairs events.
By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldm.com)
