It's Time for Suwon to Make a Second Leap as a 'Megacity'

Im Su-bok, preliminary candidate who threw his hat in the ring for the June 2 Suwon mayoral election, is intensifying his campaign efforts. Im, who has a distinguished career including serving as acting Gyeonggi Province governor, is drawing considerable attention as a candidate who held positions as head of several basic local governments including Gwangju, Hanam, and Gunpo during his younger years. He is also recognized as having expertise in academic knowledge as a Ph.D. in public administration and currently serves as an invited professor at Yonsei University. Let's take a closer look at the future of Suwon envisioned by Im Su-bok, who is drawing a picture of 'Megacity Suwon.'

● I will transform Suwon completely.

"Suwon is currently on the verge of bursting from an abscess. The provincial capital status of Gyeonggi Province has already been lost to other cities long ago."
Im assessed that despite Suwon being the nation's largest basic local government with a population of 1.1 million, it has fallen behind overall in administration, economy, and society. Therefore, he emphasized that major surgery is needed rather than small-scale development or improvements. His view is that only by changing from the root can Suwon rise to first place. He even did not hesitate to cite Seongnam, which despite having a much smaller population has an annual budget of 3.4 trillion won, calling it "a matter of wounded pride."

Im attributes Suwon's lag to problems in city administration. The observation is that this stems from overly passive policies compared to other cities in competitive positions. Im said, "The fact that Suwon, the nation's top local government where the Gyeonggi Province office is located, has significantly lower financial independence compared to Seongnam, Yongin, and Goyang can be attributed entirely to the errors of the previous administration," and expressed confidence, saying, "I am already an expert who has experienced both central and local administration. I believe I am the right person to lead the second leap forward."

He also pointed out measures that Suwon, which will transform into a metropolitan local government in the future, should prepare. This is his signature pledge, 'Megacity Suwon.' Here, he first mentions the development of the underdeveloped West Suwon area. The analysis is that concentrated development rather than balanced development of the entire city becomes a cause that promotes urban slum formation. In particular, in preparation for the West Coast era when future development prospects are anticipated, he pointed out that development plans centered on the Yeongdong and West Coast expressway are necessary, moving away from development concentrated near the Gyeongbu Expressway.

● First, the local economy must be revived; welfare policies are also essential

Im Su-bok identifies 'local economic growth' as the area that must be improved first. He emphasized that regional large enterprises based in the area, such as Samsung and SK, should be supported and cooperated with to the maximum extent as a driving force for local economic growth. He explained that this is also a necessary way to increase the city's financial independence. He said, "Currently, Suwon is the most debt-ridden failed enterprise in Gyeonggi Province," and stressed that "to resolve this, we must shift from hardware-oriented civil engineering administration to software administration." He also argued, "We should not do administration that spends money, but rather conduct economics to earn money through administration. That is the basic spirit of local autonomy."

He did not overlook welfare policies. He emphasized the need to help socially disadvantaged groups suffering from economic hardship. Here, he promised to establish a 1% sharing welfare foundation and showed determination to increase childcare facilities for infants and young children and provide full support for childcare facilities. Im said, "The disappearing middle class and the growing low-income class darken the future of Suwon," and stated, "City administration should be conducted with the basic idea that a society develops when its low-income class lives well."

● A mayor who communicates with residents is needed.

Im Su-bok argues that the core of administration is smooth 'communication' with residents. His contention is that only continuous dialogue creates policies suitable for the field and reality. He says that moving away from closed-door administration and conducting administration publicly is also a basic virtue.

He called the failed integration of Suwon, Hwaseong, and Osan administrations an 'accident' that occurred because local leaders failed to read public sentiment well. The position of mayor is not a place to push one's philosophy or ideas, but rather a place where one must gather the will of residents. "It is very basic political theory, but it is not easy to adhere to. One must become a politician who serves citizens as masters, free from arrogance and arbitrariness," he said.

Along with this, Im said something unique: "If I become mayor, I will delegate all internal administrative work to the vice mayor and become the kind of mayor who runs in the field." This is also an expression of his determination to breathe with residents to that extent. He said with emphasis, "Until now, the problem was so severe that one could say administration was revolving around civil servants. However, I will conduct administration where communication with residents is alive and breathing."

※Profile

▲Graduated from Suwon Seryou Elementary School, Buk Middle School, and Jungdong High School
▲Master's degree from Yonsei University Graduate School of Business
▲Blue House Office of the Prime Minister, Mayor of Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi Province, Vice Governor of Administration, Acting Suwon Mayor
▲Current Invited Professor, Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Administration