Oh Se-hoon: "If a whistleblower emerges regarding Naegok-dong land involvement, I will withdraw my candidacy"

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor (right), and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People Party candidate for Seoul mayor, are attending the unification vision presentation held at The Plus Studio in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, on the 15th, engaging in conversation. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, emphasized that he would withdraw from the race if a whistleblower came forward claiming his involvement in the 'Naegok-dong land' issue.

On the 16th, during the 'Seoul Mayor Candidate Unification Debate' held at KNK The Plus Studio in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, with Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party candidate, Oh said, "If any Seoul city employee or Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH) staff who experienced being involved in or receiving instructions about the designation of the Naegok-dong public housing site comes forward with a conscience declaration, I will immediately withdraw from the candidacy."

When Ahn asked, "You said you don't know the existence or location of this land," Oh responded, "I had no interest during my time as mayor, and I was unaware that the acquisition process was even underway. Probably the director in charge also did not know that the land was related to my in-laws. My name is not on it."

In response, Ahn countered, "It is true that 3.6 billion won was earned from selling the Naegok-dong land, so many people might feel a great sense of loss." Oh replied, "I feel really hurt when you say that. The price of 2.7 million won per pyeong has already been calculated, and the surrounding market price at the time was definitely over 3 million won."

Oh continued, "When the government designates such housing planned districts and sets compensation prices, they always set them 10% to 20% lower than market prices. Even 10 years ago, most lawsuits ended with the government paying about 10% to 20% more than the originally planned compensation price. You can ask legal experts; this is common knowledge," he explained.

Ahn did not stop his offensive. He asked Oh, "Assuming you become the unified candidate, the Democratic Party's attacks will intensify in the general election, and various materials will come out. Do you have any countermeasures? If any of the explanations you gave now are proven false, will you take responsibility?"

Oh reiterated his position clearly, saying, "If it is revealed that I was involved in the acquisition and compensation issue of my in-laws' land 10 years ago, I will not only take responsibility but also resign from the candidacy."

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