Oh Se-hoon: "No Three-Way Race in Mind" Ahn Cheol-soo: "Opposition Must Unite to Punish the Regime"

Vision Presentation for Seoul Mayor Candidate Unification Held on the 15th
Oh Softens Atmosphere with Direct Apology Amid Sharp Exchanges
Ahn Emphasizes "Unification Position to Be Announced from December 20"

On the 15th, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party candidate for Seoul mayor, attended the unification vision presentation held at The Plus Studio in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, and exchanged greetings. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party candidate, who challenged the April 7 Seoul mayoral election, have resolved their conflicts and reaffirmed their commitment to unification.

On the 15th, at the Seoul mayoral candidate unification vision presentation held at the KNK Digital Tower studio, Oh said, "Yesterday afternoon, Candidate Ahn issued a statement that he should be the unified opposition candidate, so I responded to balance it out. Although it was brief, my expression was too direct," and apologized, saying, "I am sorry." He added, "There will be no more sharp disputes between Candidate Ahn and me," emphasizing, "The will to unify is firm."

Oh reaffirmed his commitment to unification despite mentioning polls showing he would win even in a three-way race against Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party and Candidate Ahn. Oh said, "I am grateful for the support despite my many flaws and shortcomings," but added, "I am consciously trying not to pay attention to polls regarding the three-way race." He said, "The opposition will surely lose the Seoul mayoral election if divided," and "I will not take that path." Furthermore, he stated, "No matter what happens, I will stake everything to successfully unify and serve as a stepping stone and bridgehead to stop the Moon Jae-in administration’s tyranny and incompetence," and "I appreciate the support, but the three-way race is not in my mind."

Candidate Ahn also emphasized unification. Ahn said, "If I become the unified opposition candidate and win the mayoral election, I will create a bigger number 2," adding, "The reason I am working hard in the Seoul mayoral election is for regime change." He stated, "I have expressed this position since I declared my candidacy for this Seoul mayoral election on December 20 last year," and stressed, "The opposition must unite to judge the ruthless regime."

He continued, "Even if there were incidents yesterday and today, they are competitions in good faith, and desirable competition will restart from this moment," and said, "Once one candidate enters the Seoul mayor’s office and starts working, the other will watch over and help that person do their best for the citizens."

Oh and Ahn also confirmed that they have reached considerable agreement on joint administration after the Seoul mayoral election. Oh said, "It is proper not to disclose specifics before unification," but added, "Once unified, the two will announce it." Oh said, "The most successful example of joint or coalition government is Germany," and added, "I think we can get hints from there."

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