Quotes from Park Won-soon

I have my own vision to lead the Seoul City, but whether or not I can display it totally depends on the citizens.

It is necessary to diversify or improve the role of Gimpo airport.

Seoul is ready to share with the world proof that local actions can achieve global vision.

I think that continuity is the most important way to create a city that functions properly and has a competitive edge in the international era.

There is a tendency to attack some particular group of people and scapegoat them, but this is not the right attitude to cope with epidemics.

We will work as if the PyeongChang Olympics is jointly hosted by Gangwon Province and Seoul.

Many homosexual couples in Korea are already together. They are not legally accepted yet, but I believe the Korean Constitution allows it. We are guaranteed the right to the pursuit of happiness. Of course, there may be different interpretations to what that pursuit means.

As politics is not subtraction but addition, those who share views and ideas need to join forces and they have to cooperate with political opponents even after they win an election.

There are many challenges ahead, and one of the most important ones I face is ensuring the future sustainability of our city.

In the journey to peace and to reunification, I always emphasize that we are not climbing just one mountain, we are climbing a range of mountains and, of course in this process, we will face a lot of difficulties. However, peace will be settled and the two Koreas will achieve reunification.

Getting access to diverse civilizations should be easy, and languages are the gateway to that.

Predicting and responding to the global economy will be the biggest challenge.

I published a thesis about animal rights when I was studying in England in 1991. Back then, I was a human rights lawyer and people condemned me for talking about animal rights when human rights are still not guaranteed. However, human rights are guaranteed in a society where animal rights are secured.

Our respect for culture and diversity and arts is very low because we only focused on building the economy. But now as we have reached modernization... many citizens can display their potential for arts and culture and I believe that's why Psy has become so popular.

Seoul will do what it can do, such as letting citizens participate in cutting energy use or in producing more of their own energy. This is how we can thwart the increase in nuclear plants.

In Seoul, there are plans to create a blockchain ecosystem to make it a city that will be recognized as the center of blockchain in the world.

It may sound like showing off, but I am good in communications and in creating harmony.

Humans can't live independently. We should work together and dream together.

Politicians have been the primary hurdle to reforms, and corruption is the center of the problem.

With regard to the 5G market, China is rather a competitor than a partner.

With the Korean economy faltering, Seoul City will do its best to address problems regarding people's economic livelihoods - the most important part of this effort being public housing.

We need to put priority on addressing issues related to people's daily lives and their economic hardships.

Most of the job on DDP was already done by the time I became mayor. So was Gwanghwamun Square, described by many architects as the city's worst architectural creation, and the new city hall. I did not think that redoing them would be the right approach as that would only create new problems.

I am kind of an idealist but I became a DUP member because I believe politics should have a footing in harsh reality.