Serving Citizens as a Mayor Who Listens

Lee Yun-hee (54), a preliminary candidate for the Grand National Party, states that the phrase ‘serving with compassion and consideration, magnificent Suwon’ represents everything about him. He explains that it is the foundation of his most characteristic political platform and the underlying spirit of his entry into politics. The candidate said, “I want to serve citizens who are the masters of this age of citizen sovereignty, to consider the underprivileged so that all classes communicate through social integration, and to create a city where history, tradition, and culture harmonize,” presenting a blueprint for Suwon to realize this dream.

●Suwon: City Scale Expanded While Administration Remains Stagnant

He diagnosed that while Suwon's scale has expanded dramatically in appearance over the past decade, it lacks substance. Although it has grown into a megacity of 1.1 million people, city administration has failed to keep pace with development speed. He cited the pedestrian overpass project, which runs counter to global trends, as a prime example. He pointed out that overpasses near Kwonseon Circular Overpass and Changyongmun Gate are poorly utilized and damage the landscape, representing a model of showcase administration. He stated, “This is only a minor example. The connectivity of roads between new and old city areas is poor, and indiscriminate development has separated commercial districts and even severed living areas,” emphasizing that “special measures are necessary.”

As one special measure, he pledged to establish a dedicated department for old city redevelopment to ensure balanced development between new and old city areas. While approximately 30 redevelopment projects are underway throughout Suwon, proliferating steering committees have created conflict among residents, resulting in lawsuits and accusations. Since the city was aware of these problems yet turned a blind eye, he conceived establishing a dedicated department to provide administrative procedure support services. He asserted, “With 25 years of experience as a civil engineer for Suwon city and 10 years as CEO of an urban development company, I can surely resolve these issues.”

●Traditional Markets Need Improved Accessibility Rather Than Cosmetic Updates

He also highlighted the importance of securing connectivity between road networks and public transportation routes. He presented a plan to increase efficiency by activating bypass roads such as the Western Bypass Road, which currently handles 70% of Suwon's traffic, and to distribute traffic flow through new bypass road construction linked with old city redevelopment road networks. Additionally, he devised plans to collect citizen opinion in determining bus routes and operating systems given that the city provides fuel subsidies to bus companies using taxpayers' money.

Regarding traditional markets, he insisted they should preserve ‘traditional taste’ and prioritize accessibility to make them familiar to citizens rather than pursuing modernization projects. He stated, “If traditional markets pursue convenience, they cannot compete with large commercial areas,” saying, “I will shift direction from facility improvement projects to increasing market accessibility by creating parking lots and improving traffic conditions.”

In addition to these initiatives, should the Metropolitan Special Measures Act currently being promoted by the political sphere pass, he advocated introducing a female deputy mayor for administration and reforming thinking on disability welfare policy—moving it beyond expanding accommodation facilities to creating conditions for people with disabilities to live together with neighbors. This reflects his determination to boldly improve the situation where women's advancement in authority has been practically blocked despite advocating for women's rights, and to allocate disability-related budgets as a priority rather than merely going through the motions.

He also plans to inherit and develop the restroom culture movement promoted by the late Mayor Shim Jae-deok and to create rest areas where taxi drivers and other vehicle operators can conveniently take breaks.

●Communication with Citizens as a Task for the Fifth Elected Government

He identified the relocation of Suwon Air Base and integration of administrative districts as tasks that must be accomplished to achieve Suwon's long-term vision. He stated, “The city must take the lead in resolving noise damage and property rights damage caused by flight altitude restrictions from Suwon Air Base. However, since the air base relocation involves important national defense facilities related to national security, it is practically difficult in the short term,” predicting that “a day will surely come when national consensus on the necessity of relocation is achieved.”

To overcome spatial limitations and unify living areas, he proposed integrating the administrative districts of Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan, preferably through private sector-led initiatives. He believed that naturally sharing festivals, athletic competitions, and economic activities with neighboring local governments would create an organic desire for integration. He said, “If we jointly host the Hwaseong Cultural Festival or open sales channels for fresh agricultural products from Hwaseong in Suwon while cooperating with each other, we must become a community that works together,” adding, “Once we build such relationships, we can lay the groundwork for integration.”

Above all, he emphasized that communication with citizens is an important task for the fifth elected government. He cited communication, noting that the breakdown in communication between citizens and local government results in abnormal budget operations and causes city administration to be ignored by citizens. He is determined to establish two-way city administration by securing communication channels with citizens through email services and blog operations on the city website as a platform to share local news.

As a first step, his preliminary candidate website implements ‘Citizen Policy Pledges,’ inviting citizens who best understand local issues to present pledges directly and think together about them. He stated, “Those from bureaucratic backgrounds can only remain bureaucrats. One must put oneself in the shoes of a citizen visiting government offices and in the position of a businessperson to coldly observe what citizens demand,” asserting, “Lee Yun-hee, who has experienced all of this, will demonstrate what administration for citizens should be.”

※ Lee Yun-hee Preliminary Candidate Profile

▲Suwon Technical High School, Ph.D. in Public Administration from Kyonggi University Graduate School
▲Former Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Kyonggi University
▲Current Chair of Gyeonggi Province Volunteer Council
▲Current Director of Samho Art Center
▲Current CEO of Samho Construction