People Power Party’s Park Sumin Announces Seoul Mayoral Bid... Urges Oh Sehoon to Apply for Nomination

"The Seoul mayoral election affects all metropolitan governments nationwide"

Park Sumin, a member of the People Power Party, announced her candidacy for the Seoul mayoral election on March 17. Park stated, "The Seoul mayoral election is not just an election for the city of Seoul, but one that affects all 17 metropolitan governments across the country," emphasizing, "Above all, the most important issue is Mayor Oh Sehoon's application for nomination."

Park Sumin, a member of the People Power Party, is conducting an unlimited debate (filibuster) on the partial amendment bill of the Government Organization Act at the National Assembly plenary session on the 26th. Park has been continuing the debate for over 13 hours. September 26, 2025. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Speaking with reporters at the National Assembly that day, Park said, "People Power Party candidates across the nation are desperately appealing. Our party must swiftly resolve the nomination disputes and reach out to the public. The first step is Mayor Oh’s application for nomination," she remarked.

Park added, "Not long ago, there was a resolution signed by all members of the People Power Party, and since then, we discussed how it was being put into practice. While Representative Jang Donghyuk needs to change, I also thought about what action Park Sumin could personally take, and as a result, I decided to run for office."

She further addressed Mayor Oh, saying, "I fully understand Mayor Oh’s genuine desire for the party to reform and renew itself, but submitting a conditional application is not reasonable. I would like to have an open and fair debate in front of the entire nation with Mayor Oh about the future of our party, Seoul, and the Republic of Korea."

Regarding the possibility of resigning from her parliamentary seat after announcing her candidacy, Park said, "It was a difficult decision, but now is not the time to be preoccupied with that. I have resolved issues in Gangnam, and as mayor of Seoul, I will tackle challenges more energetically."

On the topic of change within the party and by Representative Jang, Park said, "It is time to end party politics based on ideological camps. Our party must become a national party that encompasses both conservatives and progressives, and move toward becoming a party of the new future. I do not believe Representative Jang is fulfilling this mission properly."

Regarding Mayor Oh’s demand for an innovative election strategy committee, Park stated, "I sympathize with the idea, but if nomination proceedings become unstable or are disrupted because of such conditions, it becomes a separate issue. Making the nomination application conditional is not good for either the country or the party."

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