Occupy the Mayor’s Office

A highly contested race for mayor in Seoul ended on October 26 with the sound defeat of Na Kyung-won as the Grand National Party hopeful. Winning 53.4 percent of the votes, Park Won-soon has now become Seoul’s newest mayor.

Park Won-soon is described as a lawyer and civic activist. Many attribute his victory to his tapping into the discontent of a widening wealth gap, elevated inflation, and other social inequalities.

By running as an independent, many saw Park’s platform as valid and not part of a political ploy to shore up votes. His victory shows that there is room in politics to support a reasonable, anti-establishment, independent candidate.

Park credited voters for showing “common sense and principles” in a contest that reflected severe differences in social class and income. The election highlighted the deep discontent many South Koreans have with a system in which the country’s sprawling conglomerates, led by two of the largest companies in the country, have grown increasingly rich, while average citizens struggle to make ends meet amid rising inflation and unemployment.

John Heffer of the Huffington Post writes,

“Rising inequality, which has spurred the growth of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its spread worldwide, has been a major problem in South Korea. For instance, the country ranks an impressive 15th in the world in the UN’s Human Development Index. But if income inequality is factored in, it drops to the 32nd position, a loss in rank exceeded only by the United States and Colombia. By decrying this inequality and labeling his opponent a member of the one percent, Park may be the first politician to rise to power in the Occupy Wall Street era – and he won’t be the last.”

Park has long been considered an anti-establishment champion of the people prior to his mayoral run. The Alaska Dispatch describes his earlier days in politics as deeply opposed to inequalities.

Since his time at Seoul University 36 years ago, Park has been critical of government policies. He protested the oppressive measures of the Park Chung–hee dictatorship, which lead to his expulsion from the University. He gained a lot of notoriety as a possible future champion for the people of Korea.

Park also helped found the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, which helped organize protests against lifting a ban on U.S. beef imports in 2008. He is currently executive director of a non- profit organization that supports the underprivileged.

In 2006, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, given in honor of the former Philippine president, which is widely regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. He was also given the Women’s Movement award by the Korean Women’s Association United.

According to the Alaska Dispatch, “Park ran initially as an independent, without Democratic Party support, but finally ran on a unified ticket. Some observers believe as mayor he will adopt a more moderate stance than indicated by his rants against the government, including his claim that South Korea ‘provoked’ North Korea into sinking the navy vessel the Cheonan in March of last year and then shelling Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea in November with a loss of 50 lives.”

From the offset of his victory, Park has stuck by his guns to fulfill his campaign promises to the people. Speaking to reporters from the Chosun Ilbo, Park stated that he would set up a committee to review current city government projects and their funding. This committee review would be set up prior to taking any official duties, a move Park describes as an effort to listen to the people of the city to understand their needs.

Park’s first official act as mayor was to sign a bill that would fund an 18.5 billion won free lunch program for elementary schools. With the signing ended a long standing controversy in Seoul which some described a root cause for the change in leadership in the city.

Park says he is committed to allocating 30 percent of Seoul’s budget to welfare projects. He is quoted in CNN.com as saying, “I believe investing in welfare is an investment in the future and in people. I disagree with those who say welfare is a waste of money. It’s a good means to creating new jobs.”

According to the Korean Herald, Park has also “demanded that the central government consult with Seoul City before the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is ratified because the trade pact would cause a reduction in tax revenues and make business difficult for ‘300,000 small-time retailers’ in the capital.”

However, Park’s critics claim that he excessively intervenes in foreign affairs. According to the Korean Herald, the Deputy Trade Minister for FTA negotiations Choi Seok-young “rebuffed Park’s concerns about the Korea-U.S. FTA, giving little credence to Park’s claims.”

Choi claims that “many exaggerated concerns with little basis in facts were found (in the Seoul mayor’s statement). Among Seoul City’s claims there were many distortions and misunderstandings.” He added that, “Under the constitution, the central government has sole rights regarding foreign policy, defense and other policies that have nationwide implications.”

The Herald also reports that Park, “on his third day in office […] announced that he will halve the tuition of the University of Seoul next year, flustering private universities which already charge twice as much as the city college.”

The new mayor, who refers to himself as a “social designer”, said he would be dedicated in his efforts to roll out a “Wikipedia-style administration based on a level network.”

All of these new initiatives are very appealing in a populist movement. However, can these campaign goals translate into practical governing of a huge metropolitan city like Seoul? Park’s critics have questioned whether Seoul will be sustainable with a heavy emphasis on welfare and without a new growth model.

In regards to the lowering of student tuition, Park wants to use the municipal budget to cover more than half of a specific school’s tuition. Critics say that this is a waste of taxpayer money, particularly because some 60 percent of the municipal university’s freshmen have come from outside Seoul over the past three years, based on statistics provided by Yohnhap News Agency.

Political scientists see Park’s election as a significant shift in the political culture of Korea. This new wave of political awareness could just be a one-time social phenomenon or have far-reaching and long-lasting effects. The people will decide in due course.

By Wil Rawlins

Photo from ohmynews.com blog

A version of this article appeared
in the Gwangju News print edition, December 2011.