[iNews24 Kim Han-bin] Building on his first and second pledges—"Healthy City" and "Mental Health"—Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, unveiled a third commitment focused on creating a garden city: "Green Pause, Water-Light Everyday."
On the 1st, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo held at Seoul Forest in Seongdong District, Oh said, "Over the past four years, we created 1,100 gardens across Seoul. Now, we will expand that to 3,000 gardens by 2030 and transform Seoul into a '5-minute garden city.'"
He explained the rationale behind the pledge: "Because so many residents live in apartments, there is a strong demand for gardens and green space. As mayor, it is my duty to deliver a garden city to Seoul citizens."
"I want people to pass several green spaces between home and work," he added. "I don't envision gardens as isolated pockets; I want the entire city of Seoul to feel like a garden."
Oh emphasized a strategy he described as "emptying and connecting" to link green corridors across the city. "Through redevelopment of the Sewoon Arcade, we will establish a 1.1 km north–south green axis from Jongmyo to Namsan, and an east–west green axis connecting Cheonggyecheon to Dongdaemun," he said. "Currently, Seoul's green coverage is about 4 percent. By reimagining the city as a 'green ecological downtown,' we can raise that share to roughly 15 percent, comparable to London or New York."
He said Seoul's 334 km of waterways will be developed as waterfront leisure spaces. "We have already created 19 'Seoul Mulbit Naru' waterfront activity sites along the Han River and its tributaries. We plan to expand that to about 40 sites over the next four years," he said.
Oh also outlined plans to repurpose the Han River as a cultural destination, including a pedestrian experience at Jamsu Bridge and a revamp of the Sebitseom performance complex. He added that the river's artificial revetments will be fully restored to natural forms to enhance ecological value.
Framing the proposal as a quality-of-life initiative, he said, "When apartment residents commute, they naturally seek out forests or leisure spaces after work. I want everyday life to include 'blue light'—regular enjoyment of waterfronts—and 'green life'—routine access to green spaces—to elevate residents' quality of life and make Seoul a special city for livability."
Regarding the 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo that opened that day, Oh pointed to last year's event at Boramae Park as evidence of the economic and civic impact. "Last year's expo reached 10 million cumulative visitors within 158 days of opening, and credit-card sales in nearby businesses rose 238 percent year over year—a remarkable outcome. Walking around Seoul Forest today, I believe we can surpass our original target of 15 million visitors and potentially exceed 20 million," he said.
