Newly elected Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s ambitious dream to halve college tuition is about to take off as the Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering subsidizing the University of Seoul from next year in tuition terms.

According to the municipal government, it has recently received a request from the public university to provide a total of 18.2 billion won ($16.2 million) so that students can pay just half the tuition. The administration is reportedly positive about its chances.

The subsidization will enable the school to reduce the tuition from 2.38 million won per semester to 1.19 million won. A total of 12,670 students are enrolled in the school and about 4,000 take a gap semester or a year. The budget request assumed that 8,000 students will enroll for the next semester.

If realized, the UOS is likely to become the most affordable university in Seoul. According to Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the average enrollment fee and tuition fee for colleges and universities is 8.2 million won a year.

After the city administration’s positive response to the subsidy request, Kim Jong-min, president of the UOS student council, took to his Twitter account to celebrate.

“Finally we will be able to pay no more than 2 million won. I am about to cry,” he wrote.

The subsidization came a year earlier than Park’s original pledge to kick off the state-support program from 2013.

The half-tuition plan was one of his key pledges. Park claimed that students should not be burdened too much even before they start making money after graduation.

This may have induced support from young voters, who were anxious about the snowballing burden they have to carry. Observers said that with Park taking the initiative, calls for tuition reduction will gain a boost in other schools, too.

Actually, half-tuition was one of President Lee Myung-bak’s forefront pledges during his presidential election back in 2007. He has never pulled it off the table since.

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the ruling Grand National Party, on Wednesday appeared at a TV show and defended the president.

“Half tuition was a wrong idea. But we will try to figure out how to lessen your burden,” he said, draw jeers from the audience.

Meanwhile, less than a week into his new position, Park is moving to remove the traces of his predecessor, Oh Se-hoon, who has pushed for beautifying the outlook of the city.

The city government on Wednesday held a meeting of an advisory body to consult the feasibility and direction of Park’s pledges.

There, the panels suggested a budget reduction for Hangang Renaissance project (redevelopment of Ran River bay area), culture/tourism project, Dongdaemun design plaza dedicated to fashion and industrial design, as well as Hi Seoul festivals. Instead, they advised more allocation of money for leased housing, free school meals and expansion of public daycare centers.

The panelists have reportedly asked the mayor and city officials to prioritize the projects again and devise pilot programs before launching.

“They are recommendations. They are not orders,” said an administration official. “We will reflect the advice and draft our revisions by weekend.”

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)