'First' and 'Youngest'... The Similar Yet Different Pasts of Park Young-sun and Oh Se-hoon

Park, 'First Woman' as Main Anchor and Floor Leader... Also Advanced to University Song Festival Finals
Oh, Former Star Lawyer... Entered Politics in 2000, Followed Elite Path

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Jinyoung Jeon] The two candidates who met in the “final” of the Seoul mayoral by-election, Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party, have very different political backgrounds and careers.

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate selected as the unified opposition candidate for the Seoul mayoral by-election, is answering questions from the press after finishing a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 23rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

First, Oh, who was selected as the unified opposition candidate on the 23rd, is a typical “elite” who has walked a solid path since his youth. Born in 1961, he passed the 26th Judicial Examination (17th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute). After completing the training institute, he served in the Republic of Korea Army’s Defense Security Command. In the 1990s, he began to gain fame as a lawyer. In 1994, he gained popularity as the host of a legal counseling program called “Lawyer Oh and Lawyer Bae.” Due to his high popularity, he even appeared in advertisements for a men’s suit brand.

He entered politics in 2000 after receiving a recruitment offer from the Grand National Party. He was nominated and elected as a member of the 16th National Assembly representing Gangnam-gu Eul district in Seoul. In 2006, he ran for the 33rd Seoul mayoral election and won, becoming the youngest mayor in Seoul’s history at the age of 45. Although he succeeded in his re-election, he resigned midway due to issues related to the free school meals referendum. Oh’s assets amount to approximately 5.9 billion KRW, with the largest portion being a jointly owned townhouse in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, valued at 2.216 billion KRW. Additionally, he owns a jeonse deposit of 1.15 billion KRW in Gwangjin-gu, savings of about 2.4 billion KRW, and securities worth about 1.2 billion KRW.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Candidate Park is a politician who carries the title of “first” with her. Born in 1960, she was the first female main anchor, foreign correspondent, and head of the economic department while working as a reporter at MBC. She added several “first” titles in politics as well. After entering the 17th National Assembly, Park was continuously re-elected and rose to a senior position. She served as the first female chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, floor leader, and policy committee chairperson in the National Assembly.

Contrary to her workaholic image, Park’s specialty is singing. In 1979, she participated in the TBC College Song Festival as part of a group called “Ppongppong Party” and advanced to the finals. Park’s assets total approximately 5.7 billion KRW. She owns a detached house in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, valued at 1.486 billion KRW in her name, an apartment in Tokyo, Japan, worth 973 million KRW in her spouse’s name, and a jeonse right for an officetel in Jongno, Seoul. The Tokyo apartment is currently a subject of controversy. Park stated that she had disposed of the Tokyo apartment, but suspicions remain that her spouse still owns it.

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