"Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, 'Honest and Clean, Not Fit for a Politician,' Says Wife Song Hyun-ok"

Oh Se-hoon Wins in All 25 Seoul Districts
Gangnam-gu 73.54%, Park Young-sun of Democratic Party 24.32%, Triple Vote Share
Government's 'Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine Plan' Differentiated from Existing Measures
'Oh Se-hoon Quarantine' Experiment Applies Flexible Business Hours Considering Industry Characteristics

In the TV Chosun current affairs program 'Star Documentary My Way,' Song Hyun-ok, the wife of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, talks about her husband's political life. Photo by TV Chosun

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "I thought he had DNA that was honest and clean, so it didn't fit with being a politician." (Song Hyun-ok, wife of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon)

As the April 7 by-elections ended in a crushing defeat for the ruling party, the People Power Party simultaneously reclaimed the positions of Seoul Mayor and Busan Mayor. According to the National Election Commission, in the Seoul mayoral by-election count, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon won with 57.50% of the vote, overwhelmingly defeating Democratic Party candidate Park Young-sun, who received 39.18%, by a margin of 18.32 percentage points. Mayor Oh won in all 25 autonomous districts of Seoul. In Gangnam-gu, he recorded 73.54%, three times the 24.32% garnered by candidate Park.

Various analyses have emerged in political circles regarding these voting results. The biggest mistake pointed out is the failure to read the sentiments of the 20s and 30s age group. According to exit polls from the three major broadcasters on the 7th, 72.5% of men in their 20s voted for Mayor Oh. In contrast, 44.0% of women in their 20s supported candidate Park. The only groups where Park's support rate surpassed Oh's were men in their 40s and women in their 20s across all age groups and genders.

From Mayor Oh's perspective, the current situation might seem unreal, almost like a movie or drama, as it represents a dramatic transformation. Mayor Oh was elected as the youngest directly elected Seoul Mayor at age 45 in 2006. He represented the so-called "young conservatives" and solidified his position as "politician Oh Se-hoon" by serving two terms until 2010.

However, in 2011, he resigned from the mayoral office after advocating for selective free school meals, and in 2021, he challenged the Seoul mayoral position again, ultimately reclaiming the title of "Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon." His family, however, evaluates him as someone actually distant from politics.

On April 7 by-election, O Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate who secured victory as Seoul mayor, is seen receiving a bouquet and celebrating around midnight on the 8th at the vote counting situation room in the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

His wife, Ms. Song, revealed her thoughts on Mayor Oh's political career during the TV Chosun current affairs program "Star Documentary My Way" aired on the 12th: "I was surprised when my husband said he wanted to go into politics. As he faced obstacles and difficulties in his environmental activism, he judged that becoming a member of the National Assembly would be better to accomplish his goals," she said, explaining his mindset when he started politics.

She added, "My husband has his own will, so I thought I couldn't tell him what to do. It didn't seem like a situation where I could stop or prevent him," and said, "Just as my husband acknowledges my acting, I have acknowledged him and lived with that understanding so far."

When Mayor Oh lost in the 21st general election, she thought her husband was not well-suited for politics. Ms. Song said, "He has a positive mindset, so I didn't particularly comfort him. I thought his honesty and cleanliness were somewhat DNA that didn't fit with politicians." She continued, "I hope for my husband's restoration of honor, but on the other hand, there is a dual feeling that we would be happy living without politics."

Kwon Deok-cheol, the 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of Health and Welfare, is delivering a national address urging public cooperation in quarantine measures at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Mayor Oh is considering allowing entertainment establishments to operate until midnight in defiance of the government's quarantine policies. This is the so-called "Oh Se-hoon style quarantine."

On the 12th, Mayor Oh announced the "Seoul-type coexistence quarantine plan," which differs from the government's existing quarantine measures. The core is to apply flexible operating hours considering the characteristics of each industry instead of uniform restrictions like current quarantine rules.

Seoul City plans to prepare a manual by this weekend and start consultations with the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters. It is reported that the plan includes allowing bars and hunting pubs to operate until midnight and pubs until 11 p.m. They plan to ease operating hour restrictions for multi-use facilities such as entertainment venues by utilizing self-test kits.

Regarding this, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol emphasized in an interview on CBS's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the morning of the 13th, "For the easing of operating hour restrictions at multi-use facilities to work on the ground, two prerequisites must be met: business owners must strictly implement quarantine rules (such as mask-wearing and visitor logs), and users must follow the quarantine rules." He added, "But I wonder if that is easy in places where people drink alcohol," expressing the practical difficulties involved.

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