Mayor Park Chan-dae of Incheon Vows to Pursue Sustainable and Communicative Governance

Chan-dae Park, Mayor of Incheon, officially began his term as the 9th elected mayor with an inauguration ceremony held on July 1 at the Aetteul Plaza of Incheon City Hall.

In his inaugural address, Mayor Park presented three core principles for municipal administration: “sustainable governance,” “open governance,” and “growth-oriented governance.”

He stated, “We face a grave challenge: we must normalize the fiscal failures and policy missteps of the 8th elected administration, as well as its lack of transparency and attempts to cover up issues.” He pledged, “I will thoroughly identify any hidden debts and prevent wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money, and I will report every crisis situation to the citizens exactly as it is.”

Mayor Park also expressed his commitment to restoring livelihoods and enhancing communication with citizens. He emphasized, “We will support citizens’ wallets and dining tables, youth employment and housing costs, medical expenses for the elderly, and the neighborhood economy through a robust livelihood recovery project,” adding, “We will inform citizens before they ask and reach out before they call.”

Incheon Mayor Chan-Dae Park is taking the oath of office at the '9th Term Incheon Mayor Inauguration Ceremony' held at the City Hall Aetteul Square on the 1st. Provided by Incheon City

Mayor Park identified artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, culture, and energy as new growth engines to secure Incheon’s future. He outlined key goals such as establishing Incheon as the world’s leading bio city, revitalizing the culture in older downtown districts, and linking renewable energy sources like offshore wind power to increase citizens’ income. He declared, “By 2030, we will usher in an era where the average annual salary is 55 million won, and Incheon will become an economic city ranked among the top five in Korea.”

He especially noted that he is the first “Incheon native”—someone who completed elementary, middle, high school, and university in Incheon—to serve as mayor since the city gained metropolitan status. “Having been raised by the embrace of Incheon, it is now my turn to give back fully to the citizens,” he said.

After the inauguration ceremony, Mayor Park had lunch with representatives of veterans’ organizations and expressed his determination to honor national meritorious persons and their families—who have devoted themselves to the nation, its people, and the local community—so that they may take pride in their honor. In the afternoon, he attended the opening ceremony of the 10th Incheon Metropolitan Council, which is beginning its new term alongside the 9th elected administration, and met with council members for the first time.

A certified public accountant by background, Mayor Park ran as a candidate for the Democratic Party in Incheon’s Yeonsu District during the 20th general election in 2016—an area where the party had never previously won—and succeeded, subsequently winning three consecutive terms. He has served as the Democratic Party’s spokesperson and Supreme Council member, and in major moments such as the 12·3 Martial Law Incident and the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, he served as the party’s floor leader, working in close cooperation with then-party leader and current President Lee Jaemyung.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.