Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor, on Tuesday unveiled his first campaign pledge: “Iron stamina, vibrant Seoul.” He said he would build an environment where residents can manage their health anytime and anywhere, aiming to narrow health gaps tied to income and where people live.
Speaking at the Dobong District Public Health Center in Ssangmun-dong, Seoul, Oh said, “A warmer city and a healthier quality of life in Seoul will be the most important policy in the next term.”
As part of the plan, he said the city will upgrade its health management platform, Sonmok Doctor 9988, into an artificial intelligence-based health app. The core idea is to use exercise data tracked through the platform and health screening results held by the National Health Insurance Service to predict risks of chronic and serious diseases.
Oh also pledged a major expansion of community sports infrastructure. “I will create a ‘10-minute fitness zone city’ where people have a place to exercise within 10 minutes of home,” he said.
He said the number of “Seoul Fitness Centers,” where residents can take fitness tests in their neighborhoods, would increase to 100 from 27. He also said the city would expand “Fun Stations” — running and fitness-focused facilities now operating at subway stations including Yeouinaru, Ttukseom and Gwanghwamun — to 25 from six.
He also promised to expand exercise spaces for older adults. Oh said the city will create 120 new “Neighborhood Vitality Recharge Stations” by 2030, using public facilities such as welfare centers and libraries for senior-focused leisure and health programs. He also said each district would have at least one “Senior Playground,” which he said can help prevent dementia.
Oh said he chose to announce the pledge in northern Seoul to underscore his message on inequality. “If health gaps arise because of income and assets, it can create a gap in overall happiness,” he said, adding, “The gap between rich and poor, or income gaps, must not lead to health gaps.”
He said health is the top concern for residents and vowed to “take the Seoul healthy city project — built through policy investment over the past five years — to the next level and decisively complete the changes so far.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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