Seoul Mayor Sehun has called for the active participation and cooperation of the city's 25 autonomous districts in implementing nighttime economy policies aimed at revitalizing Seoul's economy.

Attending the 204th Seoul Mayors Association meeting held at Seoul City Hall this morning (the 14th), Mayor Sehun emphasized, "Revitalizing the nighttime economy, which we started to revive Seoul's economy, is difficult for the Seoul Metropolitan Government to achieve alone. The active participation and cooperation of the 25 autonomous districts are essential."

Mayor Sehun explained that since the launch of the 9th popular election term, the city government has established the G3 Committee alongside experts from various fields to formulate a four-year implementation plan, adding, "We have selected 100 major tasks, are rolling them out one by one, and are progressing relatively smoothly."

He went on to say, "Under our vision of a special city for quality of life, we began by prioritizing health," and urged each district to pursue policies tailored to its local conditions.

While noting that Seoul has recently received higher international evaluations, Mayor Sehun stressed that even more efforts are needed to improve the quality of life for citizens.

Mentioning that Seoul was chosen as the world's best major city in a reader survey by the influential U.S. travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler, and that Jongno 3-ga was selected as the number one "world's coolest neighborhood" by the British urban and travel magazine Time Out, Mayor Sehun expressed his gratitude, saying, "Seoul worked hard, but this was also thanks to the 25 districts coming together and cooperating."

He added, "While global evaluations of Seoul are improving, we still have a long way to go in terms of whether the quality of life experienced day-to-day by Seoul citizens is also ranked number one in the world."

He also urged the smooth implementation of the integrated care program, which has been underway since late March.

"I have received reports that the program is running smoothly, but I am curious as to whether senior citizens and people with disabilities are properly utilizing care services in the field," Mayor Sehun said. "I hope the district offices will closely monitor the situation on the ground."

Furthermore, expressing his commitment to communication, he stated, "The mayor's office is always open for pending issues, and I am ready to meet whenever the district heads request it."

During the meeting, Lee Seung-ro, head of Seongbuk District and president of the Seoul Mayors Association, pointed out that the policy adoption rate for proposals previously submitted by the association has been low, requesting active cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

"Only about 10 percent of local agenda items resolved and submitted by the district mayors association during the 7th and 8th terms were actually implemented," District Head Lee said. "This time, we will submit proposals agreed upon by more than two-thirds of the district heads, so we ask the city to give them deeper consideration."

Lee requested, "Proposals should not just end as proposals. If immediate acceptance is difficult, please work with us to find alternative solutions, such as through revisions to laws."

(Photo: Yonhap News)