Oh Se-hoon: "The time waiting for Ahn Cheol-soo is over... I will not run for the presidency"

Judged No Possibility of Unification with Ahn Before the Election
Focusing on Seoul Mayor Instead of Presidential Bid

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Oh Se-hoon, former mayor of Seoul and member of the People Power Party who declared his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election, said on the 17th that the reason for deciding to run from a "conditional candidacy" was because he "judged that there was no possibility of pre-unification with Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party." Regarding his future course, he stated, "I have no intention of challenging for the presidency."

After declaring his candidacy at Buk Seoul Dream Forest in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day, former Mayor Oh told reporters, "The waiting time is over. I will start running from today."

He held a press conference on the 7th and stated that if Ahn did not join the People Power Party or merge by that day, he would run, thus announcing a "conditional candidacy." Former Mayor Oh emphasized, "It was a proposal with the idea of achieving opposition victory in next year’s presidential election without opposition division. Judging from the reactions from the People’s Party over the past 10 days and Ahn’s response, I concluded that there was no possibility of pre-unification."

He continued, "After making the proposal on the 7th, we set a date and time to meet with Ahn, but afterward, Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, stated that there would be no discussion of integration or merger. I received a text from Ahn asking if it made sense to meet under these circumstances, and I replied that I understood. Since then, there has been no further attempt to meet."

Regarding the possibility of a presidential bid, he drew a clear line, saying, "I no longer have any thoughts about the presidency." Former Mayor Oh firmly stated his intention to focus on the mayoral position, saying, "If I am elected in this one-year Seoul mayoral by-election, I will present a five-year pledge, not just a one-year one."

He added, "If the citizens of Seoul agree, I will establish myself as a mayor who works hard for five years. I will completely erase the idea of running for president from my mind."

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