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| Park Won-soon, Seoul mayor candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at a debate held at the Korean Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
Park Won-soon, the incumbent Seoul mayor who is running for re-election, said Thursday he will visit Pyongyang after the mayoral election next month to discuss inter-Korean cooperative projects, if elected.
"Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the DPRK, told me that I've always been on its Pyongyang invitation list. Other than football and basketball competitions between Seoul and Pyongyang, the city is also preparing a joint archaeological excavation," Park said in a debate with veteran journalists held at the Korean Press Center, Thursday.
"Once the central government makes a breakthrough, regional governments are required to decorate the road, along with civic groups. This is how Germany shared roles in preparation for unification."
The nominee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also vowed to promote connectivity with Beijing and Tokyo, to make the capital a hub of Northeast Asia in line with inter-Korean reconciliatory moods.
"For 70 years of division, the nation has dreamed of peace and prosperity on the peninsula. If the inter-Korean policy had been implemented in the interest of the nation, our children would be able to visit Moscow and Frankfurt for school trips through the Trans-Asian Railway," he added, implicitly criticizing the former conservative administrations.
Park has consolidated his dominance in popularity polls, with a support rate of almost 60 percent, far ahead of Ahn Cheol-soo of the Bareunmirae Party with about 15 percent and Kim Moon-soo of the Liberty Korea Party with about 10 percent.
In the debate, the incumbent mayor fended off rival candidates' offensives. As his most notable achievement over the past seven years, he highlighted a "paradigm shift" of the city ― out of the policies aimed at rapid development.
"I've changed the paradigm with a goal of increasing citizens' quality of life, through policies to enhance job security and efforts to reach out to villagers," Park said.
If elected, Park would lead the Seoul Metropolitan Government for a third consecutive term, a first for a Seoul mayor. Based on his achievements in building a human-centered city, he vowed to enhance Seoul's international presence in his third term.
"To that end, I will create the Seoul Peace Forum, and will open an international event annually, such as the World Economic Forum in Switzerland and Boao Forum in China."
The DPK candidate also emphasized his close relationship with the Moon Jae-in administration. "Absolutely, there's no problem in communication with the central government," he said. "Problems remaining unresolved under the conservative governments are now promptly tackled by a single phone call with ministers or presidential secretaries."
Asked about his future steps as a politician ― whether to run for the presidency ― he refused to elaborate. "I believe sincerity for my current job would automatically open my next path. For now, I'll focus on making Seoul a great city of the world."
Park eyed the presidency last year, but dropped out of the race in the face of sluggish popularity. At that time, a lack of lawmakers in his corner was viewed as his major disadvantage. Apparently in a bid to expand his influence in the party, Park has recruited 28 DPK lawmakers for his campaign team.
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