“I’m going to pour out my passion for the district’s
development and happiness of its constituents.”
Lee Jae-ho
Writer Kim Ji-suk
Photographer Yeonsu-gu Office
Lee Jae-ho on June 6 was elected head of Yeonsu-gu Office in Incheon in the sixth local elections of Korea. His major election pledge was balanced urban development, and based on this, he announced that he will promote balanced development between new and original downtowns and build Yeonsu-gu into a world-class hub of education, culture and business. Here is what he had to say on being elected and his tasks and vision.
Improving quality of life for district residents with conviction and drive “I believe that our district’s residents have strongly supported me because of change. I will breathe new dreams into Yeonsu-gu to live up to their expectations and certainly realize those dreams.”
Lee Jae-ho, 55, the newly elected head of Yeonsu-gu Office, began the interview by saying, “I express my deep gratitude to the residents of Yeonsu-gu for choosing me,” adding, “I’m going to create a Yeonsu-gu that is both a safe and happy place for families, a place of hope that people want, and a warm venue of culture and well being.”
Lee was the fourth-district representative of Yeonsu-gu and the fifth and sixth member of the Incheon Metropolitan Council. This implies that he is an old hand in the district’s administration. Given that he has monitored and checked the governance of both the district and city, it is no overstatement to say he knows what Yeonsu-gu residents want more than anyone else. Lee has shown his resolution and clear conviction to improve quality of life for residents. Here, based on his experience as a CEO in budgeting and generating profits, he seeks to combine his management knowhow with the district’s administration, thereby producing synergy.
Lee says correct belief and philosophy of the district office head can change the lives of residents. He has a number of tasks that he hopes to achieve for Yeonsu-gu over his four-year term.
His key task is balanced development between Songdo International City and the original downtown of Yeonsu-gu. He said he will not make the mistake of turning all areas like Songdo, but will instead speed up the development of Songdo Amusement Park and spur projects for the improvement and development of residential areas in the old downtown, such as Seonhak-dong and Cheonghak-dong.
“We're going to pursue balanced development between Songdo International City and the original downtown of Yeonsu-gu. Resolving this problem given the regional gap was also one of the biggest reasons I had to become head of the district office.”
Lee also highlighted that he wants to tackle transportation issues, a foundation of the economy. He seeks a living environment that is markedly improved from the existing model and economic advancement not only by building a great train express (GTX) in the early stages, but also by forming a transportation network that directly connects Incheon International Airport to the bullet-train KTX via the Suin subway line.
In particular, Lee said he wants to establish a school safety net by strengthening the resident safety system, which he said cannot be neglected, and create communal spaces that can be utilized as childcare centers or study rooms for double-income families struggling with childrearing.
In addition, he plans on building a small multi-purpose indoor gymnasium by region to create a "happy Yeonsu-gu." For the same reason, he said he will spare no support for cultural artists. The district has a women's choir and orchestra, but their performance or practice venues are considered inadequate, so he plans to construct a general facility for culture and art.
Another of his projects is a vital economic city through aggressive welfare policies in areas that increase the happiness index of vulnerable social groups, including more welfare centers for senior citizens, adding welfare officials, and free flu vaccinations for the elderly.
Though ordinary people do not participate in politics directly, everything in daily life is connected to politics. In this respect, Lee emphasized that he will run an open administration that determines and verifies major policies with residents.
He said he will provide residents with high-quality administrative services by increasing transparency of governance. He also pledged to fulfill his campaign promises, actively deal with current issues, and become a district office head that always pays close attention to the voices of residents.
On June 10, Lee won the 2014 Korea Electorate Grand Prize in celebration of the third annual Voters’ Day. This award goes to politicians who have kept their campaign pledges over their terms of office vis-a-vis their practices for voters and citizens centered on the people and small and medium businesses, and have contributed to the development of society in the provinces and improvement of quality of life. In his acceptance speech, he said, “I'm going to become someone who keeps his promises well.”
