Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, pledged to invest 20 trillion won to establish seven new urban rail lines and two underground urban expressways in Seoul. He also vowed to shorten the dispatch intervals on subway lines 2 and 9, known as the "hell trains," to as little as 90 seconds. Jeong Won-oh, the Democratic Party candidate, pledged up to 250,000 won in adoption support funds for households adopting abandoned or lost animals.
Oh held a press conference Monday at his campaign office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, announcing the "Seoul Transportation Transformation" pledge, saying, "Building on the foundation of change laid during the eighth popularly elected administration, I will add a sweeping upgrade to complete Seoul as the world's best 'transportation city.'"
If elected, Oh plans to invest 20.8 trillion won in a "transportation arterial connection" project that links transportation infrastructure across Seoul by 2037. The plan includes building the Gangbuk Crosstown and Southern Circular underground urban expressways and accelerating the completion of seven urban rail lines: the Gangbuk Crosstown Line, Myeonmok Line, Seobu Line, Mokdong Line, Nangok Line, Ui-Sinseol Extension, and Dongbuk Line. The funds are to be covered by contributions from large development projects in the Gangnam area and existing budgets.
For the Ui-Sinseol Line and subway lines 2 and 9, which have been notorious for severe congestion during rush hours, Oh plans to narrow dispatch intervals to 90 seconds by introducing Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology. The plan is to expand application to all Seoul lines, shortening rush-hour subway dispatch intervals to one train every two minutes.
Jeong unveiled the "Seoul, Capital of Happiness for Pet Families" pledge, which provides up to 250,000 won in adoption support funds for households adopting abandoned or lost animals and retired working dogs — a policy he had introduced during his tenure as Seongdong-gu mayor. The plan is to significantly strengthen the public care and welfare system for households raising pets, which account for one-fifth of Seoul citizens.
The four Seoul Metropolitan Animal Welfare Support Centers currently in operation will be expanded and reorganized into "Seoul Animal Welfare Hub Centers," with one additional hub to be established. Through this, he plans to build an integrated administrative support system spanning reports of abandoned or lost animals through rescue, protection, medical care, adoption, and handover. Adoption service standards, which currently differ by district, will also be standardized. Animal welfare, medical, and emergency response standards will be developed into a Seoul-style standard manual.
In addition, "public pet daycare centers" will be established in all 25 districts of Seoul, and indoor and outdoor playgrounds for companion dogs will be expanded to all districts. To address veterinary fees, the biggest concern for pet-owning households, the plan is to phase in a "standard veterinary fee system" in cooperation with the central government.
"Pet policy is about extending the value of respect for life into urban policy," Jeong said. "I will create in Seoul a new urban standard where pet owners and non-owners can respect each other and coexist."
