Choi Jae-hyung Meets 'Political Senior' Oh Se-hoon... "Impressive City Administration Despite Opposition Majority"

Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung (left) visited Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 19th and greeted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung is accelerating his presidential campaign by visiting Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

On the morning of the 19th, former Chairman Choi visited Seoul City Hall located in Jung-gu, Seoul, and met with former Mayor Oh Se-hoon for about 30 minutes.

On this day, former Chairman Choi mainly received political advice from Mayor Oh, who is his "political senior." After the meeting with Mayor Oh, Choi told reporters, "From the perspective of Seoul city administration, I was very impressed by the way you are managing the city administration with a humble attitude, cooperating and persuading the city council, which is overwhelmingly composed of an opposition majority." He added, "Regarding various pressing issues such as COVID-19 quarantine, real estate policies, and small business owners, I was also impressed by how you are managing the city administration in close cooperation with the central government, and I received a lot of helpful advice from Mayor Oh on those matters." The Seoul City Council has more than 100 seats out of 110 held by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.

Former Chairman Choi continued, "Even if a new government is established next year, it will have to operate under similar circumstances. Rather than pushing the government recklessly, it is important to discuss, persuade, and find ways for the people and citizens to live comfortably." He said, "From today's conversation with Mayor Oh, I learned a lot that the future leader of this country should not lead unilaterally or only try to persuade with their own opinions, but listen to the opinions of others, sometimes be persuaded, cooperate, and lead together."

Regarding his slight rise in approval ratings, he said, "I am grateful to the people for supporting me, and I will show more empathy with the people." He emphasized, "Although my start was late, I will strive to highlight the image of a candidate who can empathize with the people's expectations."

Meanwhile, former Chairman Choi addressed the explanation regarding the 'Mokdong apartment illicit gift' issue raised that day. He said, "Suddenly becoming the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, I moved into the official residence. Since important furniture and home appliances were already in the Chairman's residence, it was not possible to take things from my house." He added, "My second daughter was living in a small apartment on a lease, and since I was not in a position to find her a new house, I suggested she move into the house where I was living."

He also explained, "To avoid gift tax issues, we resolved it by charging a monthly rent of 1 million won, and after reviewing it during the public official asset registration, it was concluded that there was no legal problem." He added, "These days, loans and other real estate-related matters are strictly regulated, so there is no way to suddenly get out. Therefore, we have to live together for the time being, but it is difficult for two households to live together in the current structure, so the house is currently under renovation."

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