Oh Se-hoon on Presidential Run: "Deep Consideration... People Expect Normal Leadership in Governance" (Comprehensive)

Questions on Presidential Ambitions Dominate New Year's Press Briefing
Mayor Oh Remains Reserved: "Early Presidential Election Uncertain"
Criticizes Democratic Party: "Obsession with Special Investigations, Vote Scheming Deplorable"
Emphasizes Regulatory Reform... Solidifies Position as 'Economic Leader'

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon diagnosed the current political situation as the "normalization of abnormality" and said that to challenge the presidential election, experience in state governance and humility are necessary. As a leading candidate from the ruling party, he was reserved about whether he would run for president, saying he is "deeply considering" it, but by directly presenting his vision of a future leader, it seems his political trajectory has already been set.

On the morning of the 22nd, Mayor Oh held a New Year's press briefing at Seoul City Hall and mentioned the possibility of running in an early presidential election, saying, "Currently, the impeachment prosecution and subsequent impeachment trial are underway, and no one can know whether there will be an early presidential election until the conclusion."

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Despite Defensive Presidential Moves, Mentions 'Normalization' and Indirectly Criticizes Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung

So far, Mayor Oh has shown a defensive stance when asked about his intention to run for president. On this day as well, he said, "It is premature to talk about running for president based on unconfirmed facts, and in that sense, talking about running for president goes against major principles," but conveyed that he is considering it from various angles. As a four-term mayor of Seoul, the capabilities he has built are not personal but public assets, so it is still difficult to give a clear answer as mayor of Seoul.

However, he said, "Through this impeachment phase, the people may want to see rational state governance by normal people," and added, "In that sense, I think they most earnestly desire the normalization of abnormality and a unified Republic of Korea." This is interpreted as an indirect criticism of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is facing dismissal under martial law, and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, who is on trial for criminal charges.

He went on to say about the qualifications of presidential candidates, "I think people want a leader who has the know-how of state governance developed through sufficient trial and error, and a mindset that can be infinitely humble in the face of knowledge and information," adding, "I believe the people who worry about the country's future have a sense of crisis that things cannot continue as they are." Regarding whether he will run for president, he said, "I am deeply considering it." He added, "It is too early to talk about running for president now."

Mayor Oh said, "The current political crisis is a great challenge but also a timely opportunity for institutional reform," and added, "A constitutional amendment, including a restructuring of the power system to reduce the leader's risks and check parliamentary power, is necessary." He also viewed decentralization as a necessary step for power structure reform. Mayor Oh argued, "The system where the central government controls all budgets and personnel and directs economic development has reached its limit," and said, "Local governments, which know their regions best, should be able to independently formulate development plans and exercise authority over budgets, personnel, and regulations." He added, "I will actively consult with the government, the National Assembly, and other local governments on institutional improvement issues."

Regarding the allegations related to Myung Tae-gyun, Mayor Oh said, "I was glad to hear that Mr. Myung Tae-gyun submitted the golden phone. Since there is a conversation with Myung Tae-gyun, a prompt investigation has become possible," and added, "I will publicly urge the prosecution on this occasion. Please promptly announce the investigation results."

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Additional Support through Supplementary Budget to Revitalize Livelihood Economy Including Small Business Owners... "Seoul City Will Play a Catalytic Role"

On this day, Mayor Oh repeatedly mentioned his will to abolish regulations, solidifying his position as an 'economic leader.' He announced additional deregulation for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners closely related to livelihoods, saying, "Seoul City has already started the Power Support Project. Seoul City is concentrating its capabilities on early budget execution, and if the budget is exhausted due to early execution, we will consider reflecting it once more in the supplementary budget prepared around May or June."

In particular, he urged the National Assembly and the Democratic Party to join in the deregulation efforts. Mayor Oh criticized, "The situation in the National Assembly is frustrating. Even though discussions are insufficient, the majority party only talks about special investigations and schemes to gain votes, paralyzing state affairs, which is tragic and deplorable." He added, "Seoul City will play a catalytic role to quickly resolve these problems," and said, "If given the authority to make adjustments, this will be the top priority area." In this process, he also criticized Lee Jae-myung's policy of 'paying 250,000 won to all citizens.' Mayor Oh said, "The problem is that it costs 13 trillion won, and talking about supplementary budgets while proposing to spend 13 trillion won there is hard to interpret as anything other than pandering to popularity with an early presidential election in mind."

Mayor Oh cited the 'Hangang Bus' as Seoul City's representative 'killer policy' this year. He explained that the Hangang Bus will become a routine public transportation means alongside buses and subways. He added, "It is a large ship that can carry as many as 199 passengers, but people are not well aware of it," and elaborated, "It is expected to be a turning point that changes the perception system of Seoul citizens."

When asked about measures to address the increase in deficits of Seoul Transportation Corporation due to another killer policy, the Climate Companion Card, he said, "Since it is a kind of 'welfare,' we should not be stingy with money." Mayor Oh explained, "The big principle is that Seoul City will share the burden, and last year, we tried to raise subway fares, but the government postponed it to this year citing inflation issues." He fixed the subway fare increase to be "in March." Mayor Oh said, "The increased deficit caused by implementing the Climate Companion Card can be sufficiently covered by the fare increase," and added, "We will consult with Gyeonggi and Incheon, and it seems possible to raise fares in March. We must negotiate so as not to exceed March."

Inside and outside Seoul City, it is expected that Mayor Oh will further strengthen his position as an administrative expert and economic leader until the presidential election political situation unfolds. First, since he declared 'Change or Die,' it is expected that he will accelerate the 100-day deregulation project. After declaring a 'war on regulations' in his New Year's address, Mayor Oh released eight deregulation measures in the construction and commercial sectors within just about 20 days, including deregulation plan No. 1, which relaxed the non-residential use ratio of residential complex buildings in commercial and quasi-residential areas.

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