Oh Se-hoon's 'Yongsan Tragedy' Remark... Ruling Party Calls It a "Shocking Outrage" and Demands Resignation

Oh "'Yongsan Tragedy' as a form of violent resistance"
Ruling party criticizes "No affection for citizens"

Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party appeals for support at a focused campaign rally held in front of Yeongdeungpo Station, Seoul, on the 30th of last month. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, sparked controversy by attributing the cause of the 2009 'Yongsan Tragedy' to the evictees, drawing sharp criticism from the ruling party as a "shocking slander."

On the 31st of last month, during the Kwanhun Debate held at the Seoul Press Center, Oh defined the Yongsan Tragedy as "an incident caused by the deployment of police forces to suppress excessive and careless violent acts."

He continued, "During the redevelopment process, a civic group called Jeoncheolyeon (National Evictees Association) joined in, resulting in very violent forms of resistance," and claimed, "They resisted by shooting steel balls or stones and occupied buildings, and the tragedy occurred when the police entered there."

However, Oh added, "It is clear that there is responsibility for the fact that tenants' rights were not sufficiently guaranteed and that struggles and conflicts arose," and said, "I have apologized several times."

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, is appealing for support at a concentrated campaign rally held in front of Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul on the 30th of last month. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

The ruling party demanded Oh's resignation from the candidacy, accusing him of insulting the victims and bereaved families of the Yongsan Tragedy.

Lee Nak-yeon, the standing election committee chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' program, saying, "The perception that the tenants' violent resistance is the essence of the (Yongsan) tragedy is the essence of candidate Oh Se-hoon himself."

Lee added, "During the process of forcibly evicting those who lost their homes in the middle of winter, such incidents occurred, and six people lost their lives," and said, "It is unimaginable that public officials would not first feel sorrow or remorse for those people."

Kim Young-bae, head of the strategy headquarters of the same party's Park Young-sun Seoul mayoral campaign, also posted on Facebook, calling it a "too shocking slander," and criticized, "I see a chilling figure of a power holder who does not care about people's lives. Calling him 'MB's avatar' is no exaggeration."

Lee Hae-chan, former leader of the Democratic Party, targeted Oh on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' saying, "I thought he had no affection for citizens," and pointed out, "During the Yongsan incident, a special forces unit that attacks terrorists, not a defensive unit, was deployed, but Oh seems unaware of this fact itself."

Meanwhile, as criticism intensified, Oh visited the Jongno Senior Welfare Center in Seoul and met with reporters, saying, "Regardless of the circumstances, if more caution and prudence had been exercised during the deployment of public authority, such an accident would not have occurred," and expressed his apology, saying, "I feel heartbroken, responsible, and sorry."

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