Seoul residents perceive the starkest regional disparities in housing and education environments amid the city's north-south divide, a new survey shows.
Seoul City Councilman Lim Kyu-ho (Democratic Party of Korea, Jungnang District 2) released the findings on May 27, stating that "Seoul citizens broadly recognize inter-regional gaps within the city, while expectations for policy (63.8%) contrast with the low rate of those who feel tangible results (29.6%)."
"Regardless of public agreement on policy direction, there is a need to refine priority-setting in execution and performance management systems so that citizens can see accumulated results," Lim added.
The findings are based on a mobile online survey of 1,383 Seoul residents aged 18 and older, with a 95% confidence level and maximum margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points.
Survey results showed residents felt the greatest disparities in housing and redevelopment (74.9%), followed by education (72.8%), culture and welfare (67.8%), and industry and employment (64.5%).
For balanced development policies, respondents most wanted housing environment improvement (29.2%), followed by equal expansion of daily life infrastructure (22.7%), resolution of education and childcare gaps (16.3%), and expansion of employment and industrial base (15.6%). Housing and redevelopment (33.1%) also ranked first as the most urgent local issue, followed by industry and employment (17.9%), transportation (13.0%), and culture and welfare (12.2%).
For policy tools, respondents prioritized public infrastructure expansion (76.2%), fiscal support (73.9%), tax incentives (69.3%), deregulation (64.8%), and private investment attraction (62.4%). On fiscal support principles, "priority consideration for underdeveloped areas" received the highest response at 58.7%, confirming public sentiment that investment priority should focus on narrowing gaps.
"Policies must be realigned to show 'results' that citizens can confirm in daily life, not just 'plans,'" Lim said. "I will work at the council level to establish customized support systems reflecting regional demands and conditions, and strengthen policy credibility by increasing transparency in project selection and execution processes."