[Current Affairs Show] Will Oh Sehoon Run for Office?

Lee Taekyu: "He Should Apply for Nomination"
Park Wonseok: "No Justification—It Would Make Him Look Ridiculous"

■ Broadcast: The Asia Business Daily 'So Jongsup's Current Affairs Show' (Mon-Fri, 4-5 p.m.)

■ Host: Political Specialist So Jongsup ■ Producer: Park Sumin PD

※ When quoting content from this article, please be sure to cite 'So Jongsup's Current Affairs Show'.

So Jongsup: Do you think Mayor Oh Sehoon will participate in the re-recruitment process?

Lee Taekyu: At present, it seems that he is unable to participate based on justifiable grounds. The demand was, "Take action following the Jeol-Yoon resolution," but nothing has actually been done, has it? So, there's no justification. However, I think the bigger problem is the ambiguity in his statements. From the beginning, when the Jeol-Yoon resolution was announced at the party caucus, they should have said, "Jeol-Yoon is not just words. Concrete measures or actions must follow. Show us that." But initially, he said, "At least the minimum groundwork for holding the election has been laid," which was a positive assessment. Later, he said after some time that additional measures were needed, and while he didn't apply for nomination, he also said, "I will participate in the election," which was a rather unclear statement. Supporters and the public are left wondering, "What does he intend to do?" In this aspect, he showed a rather ambiguous and uncertain stance, and I believe this is Mayor Oh Sehoon's mistake.

Generally speaking, if he is considering his future after the election, I think it would be appropriate for him to apply for the nomination.The nomination race for Seoul Mayor without Oh Sehoon would, from the public's perspective, be like a bun without filling—regardless of whether one supports him or not.If he wants to challenge for the Seoul mayoralty as a leader, and possibly take on other roles in the future, he should step up when the party is in trouble. He should show dedication regardless of whether he wins the nomination or not, and I think that is the right thing to do.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited a real estate office in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 9th to listen to the difficulties faced by young single-person households looking for homes. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

So Jongsup: Even though the justification is lacking, do you still think he might participate in the re-recruitment process? What is your view, former Assemblyman Park?

Park Wonseok: But for that to happen, the party needs to give him some justification. The party leader has to provide at least a minimal rationale, but so far there has been no such move—in fact, the party’s actions seem to go against providing justification. They say they want to pursue innovative nominations, but if the alternative being promoted is just 'Yoon Again,' then it is meaningless. In fact, there are already disturbing rumors going around: 'Daegu mayoral candidate Lee Jinsook,' 'Chungbuk governor candidate Yoon Gapgeun'—these are all 'Yoon Again' figures. It's about 'Yoon Sukyeol's return to politics.' In this situation, can Mayor Oh Sehoon simply say, "That's their business, Seoul is separate," and apply for nomination?If nothing changes, can he just register and run, saying, "No other choice"? If he does that, all the efforts he has shown so far will come to nothing, and his competitiveness in the general election will decrease.If nothing has changed and he just registers now, it makes him appear quite ridiculous.

So Jongsup: If the People Power Party were to provide Mayor Oh with justification, what would be the minimum measure required?

Lee Taekyu: If the results of innovation are reaped only by certain individuals, and if those individuals belong to the 'Yoon Again' faction or have held high positions in the Yoon Sukyeol administration, then from my perspective, that's not innovation but regression.If the process heads in an anti-reform direction,I think that is very dangerous.The concept of innovative nominations is to move away from the pro-Yoon approach. However, if, instead, people widely recognized as Yoon Sukyeol’s associates or those with 'Yoon Again' images receive nominations while competent incumbents are pushed out, who could call that change or innovation? That is clearly regression. In such cases, it would make one feel that the election itself is meaningless.

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