For a boy from Hongseong, Seoul was a distant city at the end of the railway. Im Man-kyun, the Speaker of the Seoul City Council, graduated from Gwangcheon High School and studied urban planning at Hannam University. The Janghang Line, which connected his hometown of Hongseong to Daejeon and Seoul, was a significant part of his youth. He settled in Seoul in 2004, during his senior year of college, to seek employment.
Now, 22 years later, the young man who moved to the capital has become the Speaker of the Seoul City Council, representing 118 council members and the interests of 10 million citizens. However, he downplays the significance of his position, stating, "There is no best position; it is merely a transient role." His response reflects a commitment to responsibility over power.
Before entering politics, Im worked as a certified labor attorney for nearly a decade. The clients who visited his office were often those struggling with issues related to wages, layoffs, industrial accidents, and labor disputes. While he found fulfillment in resolving individual cases, he felt that merely addressing disputes was insufficient. His desire to contribute more significantly to the community and citizens sparked his interest in politics.
Elected to the Seoul City Council for the first time in 2018 from Gwanak District 3, he has since been re-elected three times. His background in urban planning and experience in labor issues have shaped his perspective on the challenges facing Gwanak. He has focused on redevelopment of low-rise residential areas, advancing the Nankok and Western lines, and improving aging school facilities, framing these efforts around the themes of housing, transportation, and education. His vision is to create a city where young people can settle down and raise families rather than just passing through.
In the race for the Speaker position, his strength lay in relationships rather than flashy alliances. He has maintained open communication with senior colleagues and peers since his first term. In a competitive environment with seasoned lawmakers, he personally shared his aspirations with each member, and the trust he built over time translated into votes. While he speaks softly, he is clear and assertive when discussing issues like the normalization of TBS, procedural legitimacy, and the rights of people with disabilities and labor rights.
The young man from the Janghang Line now holds one of the brakes on the massive train of Seoul's administration. His principle is to neither stop abruptly nor accelerate recklessly. He aims to discern when to halt and when to proceed based on the interests of the citizens. The weight of the Speaker's role, as Im Man-kyun describes it, lies in that judgment.
Now, 22 years later, the young man who moved to the capital has become the Speaker of the Seoul City Council, representing 118 council members and the interests of 10 million citizens. However, he downplays the significance of his position, stating, "There is no best position; it is merely a transient role." His response reflects a commitment to responsibility over power.
Before entering politics, Im worked as a certified labor attorney for nearly a decade. The clients who visited his office were often those struggling with issues related to wages, layoffs, industrial accidents, and labor disputes. While he found fulfillment in resolving individual cases, he felt that merely addressing disputes was insufficient. His desire to contribute more significantly to the community and citizens sparked his interest in politics.
Elected to the Seoul City Council for the first time in 2018 from Gwanak District 3, he has since been re-elected three times. His background in urban planning and experience in labor issues have shaped his perspective on the challenges facing Gwanak. He has focused on redevelopment of low-rise residential areas, advancing the Nankok and Western lines, and improving aging school facilities, framing these efforts around the themes of housing, transportation, and education. His vision is to create a city where young people can settle down and raise families rather than just passing through.
In the race for the Speaker position, his strength lay in relationships rather than flashy alliances. He has maintained open communication with senior colleagues and peers since his first term. In a competitive environment with seasoned lawmakers, he personally shared his aspirations with each member, and the trust he built over time translated into votes. While he speaks softly, he is clear and assertive when discussing issues like the normalization of TBS, procedural legitimacy, and the rights of people with disabilities and labor rights.
The young man from the Janghang Line now holds one of the brakes on the massive train of Seoul's administration. His principle is to neither stop abruptly nor accelerate recklessly. He aims to discern when to halt and when to proceed based on the interests of the citizens. The weight of the Speaker's role, as Im Man-kyun describes it, lies in that judgment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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