Oh Se-hoon: "As time passes, unification with the opposition becomes more difficult... the possibility of failure also remains"

"MB and Park Pardon, This Year Is the Right Time... Should Be Actively Considered"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who declared his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election, stated on the 18th regarding opposition party unification, “It is true that as time passes after the People Power Party enters the primary race, unification becomes more difficult,” adding, “There will probably be many very tense incidents during the final unification negotiations. Ultimately, the possibility that unification may not be achieved always exists.”

On the same day, on KBS Radio’s ‘Kim Kyung-rae’s Strongest Current Affairs,’ former Mayor Oh said, “There was some misunderstanding because I linked my candidacy to whether Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, would join the party. So I apologized yesterday,” and added, “I judged that joining the party or merging would be the most desirable way to completely rule out the possibility of unification failure in advance.”

Regarding the presidential election, former Mayor Oh said, “The Seoul mayoral position and the presidential election cannot coexist, right? Once I become Seoul mayor, I must focus solely on city administration without looking sideways. There is absolutely no room for hesitation. Especially this time, there is no transition committee period. So if elected, I will start working immediately the next day,” and added, “All the pledges I will present this time are five-year pledges. I will completely erase any thoughts about the presidential election from my mind.”

Regarding his mid-term resignation as Seoul mayor 10 years ago, former Mayor Oh said, “At that time, it was out of a sincere desire to stop the populist frenzy, but I truly feel sorry and deeply blame myself.”

On the pardon of former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, former Mayor Oh said, “This year might be the right time. I think it should be actively considered,” emphasizing, “First, they should apologize for the politics that caused national division, and on that basis, a decision on the pardon is necessary.”

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