This summer, Im Man-gyun made history when he became both the youngest speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the first speaker from Gwanak-gu.
Im won the speakership on June 29 in a six-candidate race and immediately put council reform and innovation at the center of his agenda. He has outlined plans to broaden public engagement, build a more open council and create an institutional foundation that allows members to focus fully on their legislative duties.
In his role leading 118 council members, Im said he aims to combine his brand of leadership with his legislative experience as a three-term councilor from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gwanak District 3.
He also vowed to strengthen internal communication and unity while balancing oversight of the city administration with cooperation on behalf of Seoul residents.
During his three terms as a Seoul council member, he worked on both local issues and major city policies. As chair of the Environment and Water Resources Committee’s 11th term, he focused on scrutinizing key city projects.
A prominent example was the Han River Bus project. Im examined its viability and operational plans and, during administrative audits, called project officials as witnesses as part of the council's oversight efforts.
That experience has shaped his approach to the council's relationship with the city administration. Rather than reflexive opposition, Im said his standard for judgment would be whether a policy genuinely serves the people of Seoul.
As Im begins his tenure, public engagement, oversight of the city administration, cross-party cooperation and the institutional independence of local councils will be key areas shaping the council's work under his leadership.
Im identified economic recovery for ordinary residents, public safety and youth policy as three areas the council should prioritize.
“I plan to examine whether support for small business owners and the self-employed is producing tangible results and whether policies for traditional markets and neighborhood shopping districts reflect local needs,” he said regarding his plan for economic recovery.
On public safety, Im said the focus should shift from responding to accidents to preventing them, with the council examining whether relevant projects and budgets are effectively identifying and reducing risks in advance.
“The youth policy agenda will extend beyond jobs and housing to marriage and asset formation,” he said, adding that he also plans to expand direct communication with young people and ensure their voices are reflected in policy discussions.
Another pillar of Im's leadership approach is communication and cooperative governance. While the 118 council members represent different parties and districts, he said they share the common goal of serving Seoul residents. “I will foster a culture in which disagreements are resolved through debate and decisions, once made, are respected.”
In relations with the city administration, Im said the council will maintain a balance between oversight and cooperation, exercising its watchdog role when policies or projects go wrong while working with the administration when policies serve the public interest.
"I will check flawed policies and projects without hesitation, but I will actively cooperate on policies that the people need," Im said. "There will never be opposition for opposition's sake. The only standard for every policy judgment is the citizen."
Strengthening the independence and expertise of local councils through institutional reform is another priority.
Im said that while local councils play a vital role in overseeing city administrations, their authority over the organizational and budgetary foundations of their own legislative work remains limited.
He said he supports enacting a dedicated local council law that would comprehensively define the operations and powers of local councils. He plans to work with local councils for a firmer institutional footing.
The distinction of being Gwanak-gu's first and the council's youngest-ever speaker, Im said, brings a new sense of responsibility. As a young speaker, he faces the task of accelerating change while using his experience as a three-term lawmaker to bring together diverse voices within the council.
"When my term ends, I want citizens to say that the Seoul Metropolitan Council was the most reliable council by their side," Im said. "I will build a council that listens to the people's voices to the very end and answers with results — a Seoul Metropolitan Council where citizens can feel the change."
Im's background spans labor relations, urban administration and legislative work. As a licensed labor attorney, he mediated labor-management disputes, gaining hands-on experience in communication and negotiation. He also served on urban planning committees during their 10th and 11th terms and holds a master's degree in urban administration from the University of Seoul.
Before entering the council, Im served as president of the Gwanak Junior Chamber International.
By Yang Jung-won (7toy7@heraldcorp.com)
khnews@heraldcorp.com