Kim Moon-soo &Park Won-soon: “Let’s work together.”
(Published November 24, 2011)

First breakfast meeting on November 24th at the JW Marriott Hotel, Seoul
Discussions included increasing bus fares, GTX, and the establishment of a real-time discussion committee.

– At 7AM on November 24^th, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo, and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon shake hands at a breakfast meeting that was held at the JW Marriott Hotel, Seoul. (G-News Plus Heo Seon-ryang)

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo met with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on November 24^th and discussed bus fare increases, GTX construction, and the establishment of a real-time discussion committee between the two self-governing bodies.

The meeting between the two was the first following the inauguration of Park as mayor. The meeting was set at Mayor Park Won-soon’s request on November 21^st as a friendly visit by the new mayor.

The two had a breakfast meeting at 7AM at the Seoul Mariott Hotel. The vice-governor, vice-mayor, spokespersons, directors of planning and mediation, and the chiefs of staff from the two self-governing bodies joined the event. The meeting was closed to the public.

After the meeting, Governor Kim said “23% of Seoul’s civil servants reside in Gyeonggi Province. Public transportation requires the most extensive collaboration.” He continued, “There are various problems, including bus transfer discounts and lane issues. Mayor Park spoke positively of collaborating on public transportation issues.”

Speaking directly, Mayor Park said “Gyeonggi Province has already decided to increase its busfares, and Seoul is still in the process of making a decision. We listened to the necessities for increasing these fares.” He added, “The rest will be decided in Seoul after a review.”

Governor Kim said, “The issue of increasing the fares was already agreed upon by the 3 self-governing bodies of the capital region before the inauguration of the mayor. Incheon and Gyeonggi made public announcements to put the new fares into effect on November 26^th. It seems difficult (for Seoul) to do the same on the 26^th due to a data processing problem, but I believe that Mayor Park will effectively follow due process and decide on a solution.”

Mayor Park answered, “If we can solve the problems of the two self-governing bodies with a collaborative mindset, we can expect diverse growth.”

The two also discussed the construction of GTX. When Governor Kim described GTX as “a solution to the transportation problem of 25 million people in the capital area,” Mayor Park responded, “It’s only been a short time since my inauguration. I’ll work to accurately grasp the matter and to then decide upon the future direction.”

The two also decided to establish a real-time discussion committee representing the two self-governing bodies to discuss public transportation systems and work shifts of civil servants.

Mayor Park said, “Gyeonggi Provinceand Seoul are different administrative regions, but the reality is that the two are one.” He continued, “I thought there had been many exchanges with former mayor Oh Se-hoon, but it appears otherwise. We’ll establish a communication window and attempt a real-time discussion committee.”

Governor Kim said, “We welcome Mayor Kim’s positive review of our administrative discussions. We’ll establish various systems such as civil servant collaboration in the future.”

As a result, Gyeonggi Province and Seoul will either revitalize traditional discussion committees, such as the regional economic discussion committee or the capital area administrative discussion committee, or they will form a new committee to serve as a communication window between the two self-governing bodies.

This meeting was held amicably with Mayor Park referring to Governor Kim as “an older brother” and Governor Kim congratulating the mayor on his inauguration. The two met when Governor Kim was imprisoned for involvement in the Seoul Labor Movement Union – Mayor Park was a part of the advocate lawyer group.

– The press also showed considerable enthusiasm for the meeting, with 50 reporters crowding the meeting place. Governor Kim Moon-soo and Mayor Park Won-soon answer questions from reporters in this photo. (G-News Plus Heo Seon-ryang)

–G News Plus News | Son Rak-hun kuni1202@naver.com

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201111241426567055C048&s_code=C048