"Mayor Oh Se-hoon Not Seen at Quarantine Site?"

Gangnam-gu Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun Criticizes Seoul Mayor for Absence at COVID-19 Frontlines Amid Rising Cases, Suggests Focus on Presidential Ambitions Over Quarantine Efforts in MBC Radio 'Kim Jong-bae Focus' Interview on 15th Morning

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Where is Mayor Oh Se-hoon?”

The question “Why can’t we see Mayor Oh Se-hoon?” is being raised in many places, drawing attention.

As the fourth wave continues with daily COVID-19 cases exceeding 1,600, there are talks that Mayor Oh Se-hoon is not visible at the quarantine sites.

The Mayor of Seoul is the frontline commander responsible for the health and well-being of 10 million Seoul citizens.

Nevertheless, Mayor Oh is not appearing at the quarantine sites, leading to growing voices from citizens asking, “What exactly has Mayor Oh been busy with these days?”

On the morning of the 15th, from 7:50 to 8:30 a.m., Gangnam District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun appeared on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ and said, “At the end of last month, as Seoul’s confirmed cases rose to the 300s and the situation became urgent, it was our (Seoul) district mayors’ judgment that it was difficult to find the Seoul Mayor at the quarantine sites. That’s why the district mayors themselves requested to convene a mayor-led countermeasure meeting and held one. I think Seoul’s recent response has been somewhat insufficient compared to expectations.”

He added, “Although we held countermeasure meetings, usually when the situation is urgent, the Seoul city government and the 25 district mayors should closely consult and prepare measures, but I think this was somewhat lacking.”

This seems to be a criticism implying that if it were during Mayor Park Won-soon’s administration, when COVID-19 cases surged, he would have frequently met with the 25 district mayors to prepare countermeasures, but Mayor Oh Se-hoon is viewing the situation too lightly.

Regarding Mayor Oh’s lukewarm(?) attitude toward quarantine, another Seoul district official analyzed, “Mayor Oh seems to have lost his touch after being away for 10 years and then returning.”

Another official pointed out, “Mayor Oh might be making this mistake because he is more interested in the presidential race than in quarantine and other issues.”

After becoming a three-term Seoul mayor through the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, Mayor Oh has been focusing on meetings such as with the Korea Federation of SMEs, leading to criticism that he is neglecting the crucial COVID-19 quarantine efforts.

Jung Soon-kyun, Mayor of Gangnam District

A member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council said, “Since his inauguration, Mayor Oh has been effectively pursuing a presidential bid, which seems to be leading to such criticism.”

Meanwhile, Seoul City purchased 200,000 self-test kits with 1.34 billion won from the disaster management fund, but the Seoul Metropolitan Council is raising suspicions of corruption, questioning the procedures and whether the kits were bought at an excessively high price.

Additionally, on the 14th, the Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs issued a statement criticizing President Moon Jae-in and the ruling party over Seoul City’s quarantine failure, sparking controversy.

In response, Democratic Party members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council released a rebuttal statement that afternoon, strongly criticizing Deputy Mayor Kim Do-sik’s reckless behavior, putting Mayor Oh in a difficult position.

A member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council criticized, “The Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs, not knowing his role, unilaterally criticized the government and ruling party regarding quarantine, and I believe Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s intentions are partly included in this.”

There are also criticisms that Mayor Oh’s unstable stance from the start?such as introducing the ‘Seoul-style mutual quarantine’ right after taking office?has ultimately led to today’s quarantine crisis.

However, seemingly aware of these criticisms, Mayor Oh posted on his Facebook that day regarding Seoul’s COVID-19 quarantine response, asking for support to “quietly focus on the work.”

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