Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who has achieved a historic fifth term as the mayor of Seoul, signaled the start of his 9th popularly elected administration on July 1. During his inauguration ceremony, he emphasized five key tasks: creating a fair society for youth, ensuring citizen health, resolving housing shortages, innovating transportation, and revitalizing the livelihoods of the people.
At the inauguration ceremony held at City Hall this morning, Mayor Oh shared his sentiments on beginning his fifth term, stating, "I am well aware that five mandates come with five times the responsibility. Today, I stand here carrying that heavy responsibility."
He outlined his administrative goals as follows: <Seoul where youth can dream again>, <Seoul where everyone is healthy>, <Seoul without housing worries>, <Seoul that is connected faster>, and <Seoul where local alleys thrive>.
Mayor Oh dedicated the largest portion of his inaugural address to youth policy.
"For young people to challenge themselves to the fullest, they must have opportunities to learn, a place to stay, and a safety net to stand back up," Oh said.
He continued, "However, today's youth are facing greater survival pressures than ever before due to changes in the job market, technological shifts, and high housing costs. If there is no belief that one can live well by working honestly, and no conviction that opportunities will open up if one takes on challenges, there is no greater crisis for the Republic of Korea."
Mayor Oh pledged, "I will build a Seoul where people can grow as much as they strive and be recognized for their true abilities. I will ensure that no one is left behind in the advancement of technology."
"The Seoul Metropolitan Government will guarantee basic AI rights for 500,000 young people. By lowering the barriers to learning and utilizing future technologies, I will create a foundation of true fairness where anyone can compete based on their skills, regardless of their background," he vowed.
Furthermore, Mayor Oh promised to complete the "10-minute exercise city" project, allowing citizens to exercise freely within a 10-minute walk from their homes, and to accelerate housing supply by breaking ground on 310,000 units by 2031.
He also announced plans to open the "10-minute subway era" by completing seven urban railway lines, revitalize local commercial districts through comprehensive support for small business owners, and ensure a more prosperous life for citizens.
Mayor Oh emphasized, "Every policy of the 9th popularly elected Seoul administration will be evaluated solely based on the lives of its citizens. I will work with the mindset that results not felt by the citizens are not true achievements."
He added, "Seoul becoming a global top 3 city does not just mean raising our ranking among world cities. It means building a city where people from around the world want to stay, and where citizens want to live for their entire lives."

Today's event was held as an "open inauguration" to communicate with citizens, utilizing not only the main venue, the City Hall multipurpose hall, but also the first-floor lobby and the Seoul Gallery on the basement level.
The event included a segment where citizens who rarely visit City Hall and individuals who have cooperated with city administration were invited to tour the building and share the vision and direction of the 9th administration.
The inauguration was attended by People Power Party lawmakers Kim Jae-sub, Bae Hyun-jin, Cho Jung-hun, and Cho Eun-hee.
Representatives from veterans' organizations, including Ryu Jae-sik, head of the Seoul branch of the Korean War Veterans Association, and Kim Bu-gil, head of the Seoul branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association, were also present, along with actor Shin Hyun-joon, who was appointed as an honorary mayor of Seoul last year.
Although this is Mayor Oh's fifth term, this is the first time he has held an inauguration ceremony at City Hall.
His first and second inaugurations were held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The third, in 2021, was held online from a studio at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fourth was also conducted online after planned events were canceled due to heavy rainfall.
At 9:30 a.m. today, Mayor Oh visited various venues within City Hall to greet citizens before moving to the main venue to take the oath of office.
After reaching the main venue in about 30 minutes, Mayor Oh said, "City Hall is a spacious place, but I apologize that we had to hold the event across different levels from the basement to the 8th floor because it was difficult to gather everyone in one place."
The ceremony featured stories from citizens who benefited from Seoul's support policies.
Lee Ju-bin, who received support as a young caregiver; Seo Moon Min-kyung, who took courses on the education platform "Seoul Learn"; and Seo Su-min, who completed the first training course at the Youth Job Academy and found employment, took the stage.
These citizens and other attendees wrote down their wishes for Seoul on "wish cards" and delivered them to Mayor Oh in a "wish box."
Meanwhile, ahead of the inauguration ceremony today, Mayor Oh visited the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu with Seoul's vice mayors and 15 district heads to pay their respects and express their resolve for city administration.
After laying flowers and burning incense, Mayor Oh wrote in the guestbook, "I will make Seoul a special city for a warmer and healthier quality of life."
(Photo: Yonhap News)