Oh Se-hoon, What Does Being the Most Favored Politician Mean?

Mayor Oh Se-hoon Returns as Seoul Mayor in the 7th Local Election After 10 Years, Becoming the First Four-Term Elected Seoul Mayor with Bold Development Visions Including Hangang Renaissance 2, Yeouido 2nd Sejong Center Construction, and Lifting 35-Story Limit in Apgujeong-dong Amid Political Fatigue [Park Jong-il, Local News]

"Is the O Se-hoon era finally beginning?"

Recently, a Seoul city official made this remark after a Gallup Korea survey on favorability ratings of major politicians revealed that Seoul Mayor O Se-hoon ranked first.

Mayor O holds the title of being the first four-term elected mayor of Seoul, having won the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th terms. He has emerged as a figure expected to leave a significant mark in Seoul's mayoral history since former Mayor Ko Gun, known as the "master of administration."

However, it is true that Mayor O lacked presence in the political arena. Especially during the 5th term, he faced heavy criticism even within his ruling party after proposing free school meals as a pledge, holding a citizen referendum that failed to meet the basic turnout threshold, and subsequently resigning.

Afterward, Mayor O spent about ten years in political hiatus, running twice for the National Assembly in Jongno and Gwangjin districts but losing, leading to his near disappearance from the political scene.

Amid this, he made a political comeback by running in the 7th term by-election triggered by the sudden death of former Mayor Park Won-soon, making the political and Seoul city circles realize the saying "let's look again at a fire that seems out."

After ten years of hardship, Mayor O made a spectacular return as Seoul mayor, showing many changes in attitude and demeanor. He approached Seoul city employees with a warmer image compared to his previously cold one, earning positive evaluations. Notably, his personnel appointments focused on performance while also showing "consideration," leading to assessments that "Mayor O has matured significantly." This seems to reaffirm that without good internal evaluations, external evaluations cannot be properly received.

Along with these internal evaluations, Mayor O announced mammoth-scale regional development visions such as the "Great Hangang" project, the lifting of the 35-story height restriction in Apgujeong-dong, the construction of a second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Yeouido, and plans to develop a Manhattan-like city and a garden city in Seoul, which helped Seoul citizens and the general public trust him as a "working mayor."

Moreover, as the National Assembly remains mired in fierce power struggles and loses public trust, the public seems to prefer "working politicians" like Mayor O who focus on policies.

Following the announcement of Mayor O's top ranking in political favorability, one official analyzed, "It seems to be a result of the public's disgust with politicians fighting over absurd issues."

Meanwhile, according to the Gallup Korea survey, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, who embarrassed veteran politicians with his straightforward remarks, ranked second.

On the other hand, Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, ranked lowest in favorability and highest in unfavorability.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province, who appeared for the first time in the favorability survey, tied for 4th place in favorability and had the lowest percentage of people who "do not have favor."

Notably, this survey shows that "working politicians" like Mayor O Se-hoon, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, and Governor Kim Dong-yeon enjoy greater public trust compared to ordinary members of the National Assembly, drawing attention.

This survey was conducted by Gallup Korea from the 12th to the 14th of this month, polling 1,000 people nationwide aged 18 and older about their favorability toward eight major political figures, with results announced on the 15th.

The favorability ratings were as follows: Seoul Mayor O Se-hoon 35%, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon 33%, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo 30%, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung each 29%, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong 25%, former leader Lee Nak-yeon 23%, and Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo 20%.

Among conservatives, O Se-hoon and Han Dong-hoon each received about 60%, Won Hee-ryong 50%, and Hong Joon-pyo 40% favorability. Among progressives, Lee Jae-myung led with 52%, followed by Kim Dong-yeon at 43%.

Although Lee Nak-yeon belongs to the Democratic Party, favorability differences by political inclination were not significant, while Hong Joon-pyo showed a gender gap in favorability (39% male, 22% female).

For detailed survey methodology and results related to this poll, please refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

This is a point that political figures should pay close attention to. They must recognize that the public's standards are extremely high.

With the general election just over seven months away, it is crucial to deeply understand that the silent majority of the public is watching the political arena coldly, more so than the hardline supporters.

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