Investigation into Lee Jae-jun Lee Jae-jun, First Mayor of Suwon Special City, Has Lived a Life with Suwon

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Lee Jae-jun, the Democratic Party candidate, has been elected as the first mayor of Suwon Special City in the June 1 nationwide local elections held on June 1st. According to the vote tallying results, Lee garnered 258,456 votes for a vote share of 50.28%, narrowly defeating Kim Yong-nam, the People Power Party candidate, who received 255,528 votes (49.71% vote share) by a margin of 2,928 votes or 0.57 percentage points, winning the honor of election. His election was made possible through 30 years of experience as an urban expert, 5 years of responsibility for Suwon city affairs as the first "Vice Mayor," and 3 years as a regional committee chair. In particular, rather than politics swayed by power, factionalism, and ideology, he has strived to pursue politics with citizen participation, politics conducted with mutual respect, and politics centered on daily life, working to correct systems that cause citizen inconvenience and to institutionalize citizen participation through law and policy. He, who sought to make the long-held dream of changing cities and countries through the hands of citizens a reality, prepared thoroughly early on as a professor dreaming of a livable city, as a civic activist, and as an administrator ready to serve as a conductor for Suwon's development. Lee Jae-jun elect, who has run day and night as a "prepared mayor who gets the job done" to make a "Suwon Special City that stirs the heart" since announcing his candidacy for this mayoral election. We examine his life leading up to his election as the first mayor of Suwon Special City. (Editor's Note)

■ A Difficult Childhood

Lee Jae-jun elect was born in Yeongi County, South Chungcheong Province in 1965. He spent his school years in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Lee's father was from Yeongi, South Chungcheong, graduated from commercial high school, and supported his family through manual labor. As a child, Lee often helped his father with his work. He recalls the image of his father mixing cement, sand, and water with his bare hands. His father passed away from blood cancer in his mid-seventies.

Unlike his father, who rarely complained, his mother was strict. His mother ran a vegetable shop in an alley and came home every day carrying baskets full of vegetables and goods on her head. His mother strived to live as a humble citizen and Christian grateful for small things.

Lee Jae-jun was a student who loved books and was diligent. During his high school years, he studied at school and in the library during the day and practiced judo at a gymnasium in the evening.

Due to his family's modest financial circumstances, he had to consider giving up on going to college. He also considered entering a military academy that offered full scholarships. After considerable effort, he left his home in Pohang to head to a university in Seoul's theater district.

■ The Rhinoceros Student Council President and Memories of Upper Hyoja-dong

In college, he encountered much information and ideology that was not available in books. Shocked by issues of ideology, culture, and wealth disparity, he devoted himself to student activism through his third year. His nickname at the time was 'Rhinoceros.' It was because of his remarkable drive to accomplish tasks in student government. A decisive moment came when he led a class boycott movement as part of anti-government protests.

In his final semester of third year, he began contemplating his future. At the time, most activist students worked as laborers in factories conducting labor movements after graduation. However, he felt a sense of responsibility to support his family due to their difficult financial circumstances.

At that time, he had a five-week life counseling session with a professor who taught a class on "18th Century English Poetry." Following the professor's advice to "study hard from now on, achieve economic independence, and pursue your inherent dreams," he told his senior and junior fellow activists that he would pursue social movements as a specialist in the future. From then on, he devoted himself solely to his studies through his doctoral program. Thus he became an engineering doctorate holder at a young age.

■ Beyond Academia to Civic Activism

During his master's degree, he was employed at Seoul National University's Environmental Planning Research Institute. He took on the construction of a second Pohang Steel housing complex in Hyoja-dong, Pohang where he lived. Hyoja-dong was divided into upper and lower neighborhoods. The lower neighborhood where Lee's home was located was a slum, while the upper neighborhood was a Pohang Steel employee housing complex.

In childhood, the upper neighborhood was an object of longing. His first housing complex project as a specialist turned out to be the very Pohang Steel housing complex he yearned for as a child. His childhood dreams were connected through academic research and practical field experience.

At age 35, he earned his doctorate in engineering and became a university professor. Working as a professor in the Department of Urban Engineering at Hyupseong University and at Ajou University's Graduate School of Public Policy, he developed an interest in "sustainable cities." His interests expanded from environmentally-friendly cities and eco-cities to carbon-neutral cities, and from urban regeneration with governance and inclusive cities to smart cities.

As a professor, he became interested in cities where citizens are the owners and participated in civic activities. Through organizations such as Gyeongsilryeon, Green Korea, and Environmental Justice Citizens' Alliance, he translated the logic of urban reform and environmental movements into actual action. He operated a "Citizen Participation City University" for over 10 years. The aim of having residents directly diagnose and prescribe urban problems originated from this period.

Eventually this developed into nationwide education policy under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, becoming the prototype for initiatives such as "City University," "Village University," and "Urban Regeneration University." When the Kim Dae-jung administration took office in 1997, the "lifting of the Greenbelt designation" that it had pledged became a hot potato. At age 35, as a young urban engineering professor, Lee participated in drafting the "Greenbelt Lifting and Management" law.

He coordinated long-standing conflicting interests, conducted environmental assessments, lifted greenbelt designations, and established conservation assessment standards and policy directions. By compromising with environmental groups, regional cities had their greenbelts fully lifted while the metropolitan area and major cities maintained their preservation.

■ From Scholar to Administrator

In the fall of 1998, he worked at the Housing Research Institute of the Korea Housing Corporation. He first met Yim Tae-young, then executive director of the Suwon Environmental Movement Center, at a seminar on the topic of "environmentally friendly residential complex models."

Yim Tae-young presented a case study of the "Suwon Stream restoration movement," which he had directly practiced. Lee, who had only conducted theoretical research, was moved and decided to work together. Afterward, they discussed policies together and practiced them in the field. They spent time together as comrades in civic activism and built friendship and trust. In 2006, Lee assisted Yim Tae-young in his challenge for Suwon mayor. Together with about 20 professors engaged in civic activism, they drafted campaign promises, but lost.

In 2010, Yim Tae-young succeeded in his second attempt. Lee was offered the position of Vice Mayor overseeing Technical Administration and began a new life as an administrator. During his five years as vice mayor, he set a record as the longest-serving vice mayor. He and Yim Tae-young shared similar values and beliefs, and trusted and respected each other. Lee came to regard Yim Tae-young as a lifelong comrade.

He oversaw technical administration across urban planning, including architecture, transportation, safety, environment, construction, and green spaces. As a scholar, he applied his 20 years of research experience and experience in civil society activism to practical administration. During his five-year tenure as vice mayor, he worked to create "sustainable Suwon," "Governance Suwon," and "environmentally friendly Suwon."

The "Urban Policy Citizen Planning Group" he created is also listed as a model case in elementary school fourth-grade textbooks.

He restored the walking trails and forests of Suwon Stream, Gwanggyo Mountain, and Chilbo Mountain, gifting them to Suwon citizens. He also expanded urban parks for citizens' leisure activities and created the "Yeongheung Arboretum" and "Il-wol Arboretum." True to the nickname "City of Water," he installed rain barrels and large-scale rainwater storage facilities, laying the foundation for an eco-circular city. Lee's environmentally-friendly policies became a good precedent that local governments across South Korea benchmarked. Thanks to these efforts, Suwon won the South Korea Sustainable City Award, Policy Award, and UN Habitat Award.

■ One in a Thousand

In 2013, Suwon held the world's first month-long "Eco-Traffic Festival," a car-free city initiative. However, the project faced crisis from the planning stage due to resistance from residents and merchants concerned about traffic congestion. Persuasion was necessary. He found temporary lodging in Haengung-dong and spoke with residents in the evenings over makgeolli, discussing overseas cases.

Residents were won over by Lee's persistence. The festival attracted participation from 1,250 cities across 75 countries and received 1 million visitors. Haengung-dong became a representative tourist area of Suwon.

Behind this success was a hidden story. During the preparation stage for the Eco-Traffic Festival, his youngest son had an accident while playing soccer. His prefrontal cortex was damaged, resulting in serious encephalopathy. During the day he handled administrative duties, in the evenings he persuaded residents, and at night he cared for his family and son at the hospital. For several months without much sleep, he commuted between Suwon City Hall, Haengung-dong, and Samsung Hospital. He did not inform anyone of his situation until the festival ended. Several months later, his son recovered completely.
"Whenever difficult situations arise, I tell myself, 'compared to that time, this is less than one in a thousand.'"
(From Lee Jae-jun's book "Lee Jae-jun's Step by Step")

■ Urban Expert

Former President Roh Moo-hyun focused on balanced national development and local decentralization, promoting the new administrative capital, enterprise cities, and innovation cities.

Lee Jae-jun served as a specialist committee member in the "Sustainable Development Commission" and "National Balanced Development Commission," advisory bodies directly under former President Roh Moo-hyun. He served as an adviser to the "Administrative-Centered Complex City Construction Promotion Committee," which laid the foundation for Sejong Special City, and as vice chair of the "Committee for Creating a Livable City," the pioneer of resident-participatory urban regeneration projects.

Through the "Urban Doctor" system, which sends urban experts to underdeveloped cities, Lee was dispatched to Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province. He made the smelt fish festival a success and established a pine mushroom museum. Bonghwa became the top-ranked local government for three consecutive years. Former President Roh Moo-hyun invited him to the Blue House to commend his achievements.

He served as vice chair of the "Democratic Party Policy Committee" during the 19th presidential election campaign. In 2016, he proposed and reviewed campaign pledges on national land and urban policy, the economy and welfare, inclusive growth, and national land and urban policy for the Republic of Korea.

In late 2016, at Moon Jae-in's election campaign's "Policy Space for National Growth," he proposed policies in the fields of smart cities and urban regeneration new deals for national land and urban policy, and served on the "Talent Recruitment Committee" recruiting talent from diverse fields including youth, women, and specialists.

In August 2017, he served as planning director of the "Party Development Committee." He established a democratic structure reflecting party members' opinions from the bottom up and installed "Party Member Autonomy Committees," voluntary party member organizations. He revised the charter for associate members, allowing voting on opinions during party mergers and dissolution. He developed measures to guarantee four rights—voting, discussion, proposal, and recall.

In the 19th presidential election in 2017, he served as co-chair of the Gyeonggi Province campaign committee and chair of the Suwon A (Jang-an) election committee. He generated discussion through bicycle canvassing and youth street performances in the Suwon A (Jang-an) region.

In the Moon Jae-in administration, he served as a specialist committee member of the "State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee," which launched without a transition team and came from the "National Growth Research Institute" established during Moon's presidential candidacy. The "State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee" designed Moon Jae-in administration policies including inclusive nation, urban regeneration, and smart cities.

He also undertook various other roles including the National Balanced Development Implementation Plan, Complex Living SOC Projects, establishment and operation of the National Balanced Development Comprehensive Information System (NABIS), promotion of regional vitality projects, and re-designation of growth promotion zones.

In 2018, he served as a member of the "National Economic Advisory Council," the Democratic Party's economic think tank. He developed measures to nurture technology-innovation-type small and venture businesses. He worked on national land comprehensive planning and the future direction and deregulation of national land and construction sectors.

■ An Activist Who Works on the Ground

In 2016, an incumbent member from Suwon Jang-an left the party. Party members and supporters, having lost their leader, were bewildered. Lee Jae-jun regularly gathered party members to participate in the Gwanghwamun candlelight vigil. Taking on the role of regional committee chair in 2017, he brought together party members who had worked with the departing member and led them to victory in the 2017 presidential and 2018 local elections. He received commendations for outstanding regional performance from the central party and Gyeonggi Province party, as well as special recognition from the party chair. He saved a regional committee in crisis and led it to become the top-ranked regional committee.

To resolve regional problems together with citizens, he held over 20 discussion forums and meetings annually, listening to citizens' voices. In the 2018 local elections, he held the nation's first preliminary candidate debate. In 2019, he held the regional committee's first "300-Person Round Table Discussion" and opened a discussion on Jang-an's future growth. He established a new politics where citizens themselves determine and discuss what they need.

A representative case was creating a cultural space for concerts and festivals on the site left vacant when the government training institution in Pajang-dong relocated. The Jeongja-3 dong commercial area, which had suffered from traffic congestion, widened pedestrian walkways and became an emotional commercial district with citizens' rest areas. All of this was achieved through discussions with residents.

In 2019, he conducted a one-person protest for 63 days, one hour daily, on streets in Jang-an-gu to urge the establishment of the high prosecutor's office.

He personally walked through elementary schools and community centers for the elderly to investigate inconveniences. Schools without gymnasiums got new facilities built, and broken refrigerators and worn-out TVs at community centers for the elderly were replaced with new ones. In Yeonmu-dong, a regional revitalization project worth 18.3 billion won was launched. Dilapidated homes will be cleaned up, walkways will be widened for safe passage, and services for the elderly including an AI conversation companion, bathhouse, and cultural center are in the works. "Better than the current representative!" is the highest praise he hears from residents.

This was possible thanks to his 30 years of experience as an urban expert, 5 years of responsibility for Suwon city affairs, and 3 years as regional committee chair. The professor who dreamed of a livable city and the civic activist advanced Suwon as an administrator. Now, as the first mayor of Suwon Special City, he ties his shoelaces again.