Oh Se-hoon: "Kim Jong-in's Presidential Run Can't Be Ruled Out... Why Does Age Matter?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said that he cannot rule out the possibility of Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the Future United Party, running as a presidential candidate.

On the 24th, former Mayor Oh appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "(The possibility of Chairman Kim running for president) cannot be completely ruled out in politics," adding, "What is so important about age? Seeing how actively he is working now and how successfully he is making issues, he is a person fully qualified."

He continued, "Depending on future achievements, it is not impossible that discussions could flow in that direction," and said, "Politics is all alive and wriggling, so who could say there is absolutely no such possibility?"

Referring to the controversy sparked by Chairman Kim mentioning Baek Jong-won as a presidential candidate, former Mayor Oh said, "You should not take it at face value but interpret the intention. When I heard that, I thought, 'Ah, that's a good metaphor. That's a good idea,'" and interpreted it as, "It is a call to find or become a figure who has no national resistance and communicates well with many people without reservation."

He added, "It can be interpreted as a message to make an effort, saying that it is absolutely impossible to regain power in the current state, so try harder." When asked about his own presidential candidacy, he said, "Preparation really requires hard work, sweat, and tears, and I am still far from that."

Regarding inter-Korean relations, he said he is not advocating for 'nuclear armament theory' but rather a 'nuclear armament card theory.' Former Mayor Oh explained, "To put it simply, it is completely different between divorcing and packing your bags to leave, and packing your bags and saying, 'If these issues are not resolved, I might leave.'"

He said that while it is realistically difficult to develop nuclear weapons, there is a need for debate about showing the will and capability to do so, which is an effective and appropriate card to move North Korea. Former Mayor Oh said, "Some people in the Democratic Party who emotionally criticize and condemn me and this plan are actually chasing ghosts."

He added, "It is different from the actual nuclear development claim," and said, "If we develop nuclear weapons, Japan will not stay still, Vietnam will be stirred up, and Asia as a whole will become a powder keg of nuclear weapons, so the U.S. would never agree."

Nevertheless, he added, "What I want to emphasize is that before becoming president, President Trump agreed with the idea of nuclear armament for South Korea and Japan and said he could agree to it at the idea level."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.