Park Won-soon

“Getting access to diverse civilizations should be easy, and languages are the gateway to that.”

“A new era doesn't come from nothing. New thoughts, values and methods will be established after overcoming various hurdles on the way.”

“Being elected as Seoul Mayor came to me like God's calling.”

“Citizens are the energy of Seoul.”

“When we travel to other countries, the Internet speed is so much slower. So I think in terms of technology, 5G and Internet speed, Korea has an absolute advantage over other countries.”

“We will maintain the city as a slaughter-free place to promote the dignity of animal coexistence. If Seoul slaughter activity occurs again, we will use all means to block it.”

“Hope does not fall from the sky. We create hope ourselves.”

“It's in the hands of activists to expand the universal concept of human rights to include homosexuals. Once they persuade the people, the politicians will follow.”

“With regard to the 5G market, China is rather a competitor than a partner.”

“Gwanghwamun Square will be reborn as one for people.”

“I never intended to become an opposition political leader. Perhaps the government wants to raise me up into one.”

“It's problematic when we have excessive numbers of police taking over the streets. People visiting Seoul for the first time might think... this is a military state.”

“We believe open data helps citizens have a better understanding about Seoul's policies and motivates them to join the city government's efforts.”

“In the past, we had several dog butcher shops in Cheongnyangni, but I closed almost all of them down through various measures.”

“I disagree with those who say welfare is a waste of money. It's a good means to creating new jobs.”

“I want to start with small but definitive change; the big picture is too abstract.”

“If we discover niche services that have been overlooked in our society, we can create many jobs for the unemployed, retired and young people.”

“The Seoul city government has been cooperating with the central government to stabilize the housing market, and we plan to brainstorm all possible ways with the government to better counter the issue.”

“Transparency and accountability must be restored in politics.”

“Most of the job on DDP was already done by the time I became mayor. So was Gwanghwamun Square, described by many architects as the city's worst architectural creation, and the new city hall. I did not think that redoing them would be the right approach as that would only create new problems.”