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Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon sings Seouleui Changga (Seoul Anthem) at a special event for veterans. The other day, I gave a congratulatory speech at a periodical meeting of the Seoul Veterans Association. I heard that some of the members shed tears upon hearing my speech. I thought that it would be worthwhile to share the contents of my speech with those who are interested, thinking that we should appreciate and respect them for their devotion to the country.------------------------ Chairman Shin

The abstract ear-shaped sculpture in front of City HallHave you wondered why there’s an ear-shaped sculpture in front of the new city hall building?The new sculpture, titled Yeoboseyo (‘Hello?’ in Korean), was commissioned to represent the City Hall. Standing approximately 2.5 meters tall, the bronze statue represents the City Hall’s pledge to listen to the people. The ear, which reflects the city’s determination to listen to each and every citizen, is installed with an interior microphone conn

View of Seoul City Hall’s interior vertical garden, Green Wall Seoul City Hall has made the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest interior vertical garden, known as the Green Wall. Seoul City Hall’s staffers wanted to get the city’s vertical garden included in the Guinness Book of Records to promote Seoul and its elaborate garden, which starts at the square that extends onto the wall. It was officially accepted on February 2nd, and received a certificate to prove it. Some of y

“Wonderful Saturday” (“Wonturday”) awaits you. From March, as many as 2,051 programs in culture, ecology, occupation, science, etc., will be offered every Saturday when there is no class. For example, if you want to enjoy various cultural arts such as family plays, musical, opera, and jazz, they are offered at the Namsan Creative Arts Center, plaza, park, etc., all-year round. Resource recovery from household waste, butterfly learning center, water recycling course, overnight zoo exploration ca

This year, Seoul City is expanding the purchase of goods and services from companies hiring vulnerable social groups to 2.6 trillion won, the largest volume among public institutions. Here, companies hiring vulnerable social groups mean those productions and sales facilities hiring severely disabled persons, social enterprises, companies run by handicapped people, self-sustaining companies, women-owned businesses, and other small- and medium-sized enterprises. From this year, community businesse

A few days ago, an economic daily newspaper reported that “many of the Godeok Jugong Apt. complexes – 16,000 household mammoth apartment buildings waiting to be reconstructed – began to change their design one after another.” It means that the apartment complexes are trying to change the design of the new apartment buildings to have more small- and medium-sized flats just before the start of relocation of the residents and the groundbreaking for the construction of the new buildings.   originall

The word nanum (sharing) was unheard of among many people in this country when I established the Beautiful Foundation in 2000. Over the past decade, however, it has become a universal expression in our society. Many businesses talk about social contribution. Many TV actors and actresses and celebs serve as PR ambassadors of charity organizations.   apparently, however, people are not so generous when it comes to sharing their private car with others. some families own a second or even a third ca

"It’s good to know that spring is just around the corner, right? Here’s some news about a wedding. Who’s getting married? None. No one’s getting married. It’s about a demo session on a traditional Korean wedding to be held at the Seoul Citizens’ Hall……"   the foregoing is part of an e-mail from ms. lee na-mi, a designer whom i admire very much.   it is an introduction of a demo session on a traditional korean wedding to be held at the seoul citizens’ hall at 4:00 pm on february 28. i am happy th

I returned to Seoul this afternoon (February 21) after a 5-day visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE. I was invited to give a keynote speech at the ceremony for the Dubai Awards for Sustainable Transport 2013. I met the country’s important political figures, introduced Seoul City’s transportation administration and e-Government, and joined in marketing activities for Korean businesses. There, I saw Koreans engaged in construction work; they impressed me deeply. They were working in a distant country

One of the things that caught me by surprise is that there is an agriculture industry in this highly urbanized city complete with a fully equipped agricultural technology center. Isn’t it astonishing that there is space for fields and rice patties in districts such as Gangdong-gu and Gangseo-gu, where over 1 million residents live? I have keen interest in agriculture. This includes a peaceful, symbiotic relationship between cities and suburbs, Seoul and satellite cities. After the declaration of

I am currently on my way to the airport. I will be visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the two biggest cities in the United Arab Emirates, for five days to give a keynote speech at the Dubai International Commerce Awards and pitch Seoul’s public transportation system. Dubai has adopted the bus traffic card system and spent KRW 1 trillion on underground subways and trams to ease its chronic traffic congestion. Abu Dhabi will spend KRW 8 trillion on establishing a smart transportation system and a metro

Today, I would like to talk about Seoul City’s solution to the issue of rising rent. Only a few weeks away from spring, which is also a major moving season, Seoul City is determined to resolve public unease and restore market stability. The rent will continue to rise steadily this year at a rate of 2~3%. There will be enough to accommodate all moving households, but Seoul City will have a general safety plan just in case. For one, Seoul will offer 7,400 public housing units from February to Marc