Park Won-soon set himself apart from his predecessors when he held his inaugural as new Seoul mayor on Wednesday. The inaugural, which was belatedly held in his office, was more of an occasion to connect with citizens than a ceremony.
Park, who had started to administer city affairs shortly after being elected Seoul mayor in the Oct. 26 by-election, invited no guest to the inauguration and spent little money on the event. Instead, he himself performed what he nonetheless purported to be a ceremony ― one designed for online viewing by citizens.
It took no genius to guess that he wanted to spend the saved money on the welfare of the underprivileged, which he had tried to promote as a civic activist. Indeed, he devoted much of his inaugural on his vision to the welfare of the poor, the disabled and other underprivileged people.
He said, “Welfare is what is provided not as a gift but as a privilege.” He committed himself to spending more on child care, the protection of minorities and the creation of jobs for them as well as on the welfare of the poor. He also promised to build Seoul into a community for both poor and rich people.
Few would find fault with his lofty vision. But the problem is the high cost of turning that vision into actual projects. True, he may channel more of the city’s resources to welfare projects by setting priorities in city administration anew.
Still, he cannot escape from budgetary constraints. He should be reminded that Seoul will be brought to its knees if it is allowed to live beyond its means. He must not give citizens false hope by making promises that cannot be fulfilled.
It is misleading to say, as he did in his inaugural speech, that welfare drives growth. It goes without saying that it is the other way round. He also made the dubious statement that “spending on welfare is the investment with the highest return.”
Park needs to realize that he is no longer a civic activist but the mayor of the capital with a population of 10 million people. As such, he needs to bring himself from the pedestal of a visionary to the status of down-to-earth administrator who ponders how much to spend on mending potholes as well as how to finance the building of additional child care centers.
