Park Sumin and Yoon Heesook Appointed as Oh’s Campaign Co-Chairs: "We Will Establish a Centrist-Oriented Campaign Committee"

Oh Se-hoon, who was elected as the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul Mayor, appointed Assemblywoman Park Sumin and former Assemblywoman Yoon Heesook, both of whom were his rivals in the primary, as co-chairs of his campaign committee on April 19. Regarding the campaign committee he plans to form, Oh stated, "I will establish a campaign team focused on expanding support among moderates."

After having lunch with Assemblywoman Park and former Assemblywoman Yoon at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of April 19, Oh told reporters, "I am grateful that the two people who competed with me in the primary have gladly agreed to serve as co-chairs for the campaign committee, and we will work together throughout the nearly 50-day campaign period."

Previously, just before registering for the primary, Oh had clashed with party leadership, including Chairman Jang Donghyuk, over how to form an 'innovative campaign committee.' On this issue, Oh commented, "The key idea of the innovative campaign committee is to expand support among moderates," adding, "We are envisioning a campaign committee that brings together young people, those in mid-life, and seniors from all walks of life, creating a broadly unified team."

Yonhap News Agency

When asked about criticism from his opponent, Jeong Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul Mayor, who suggested that Oh's recent moves were aimed at a party leadership or presidential bid, Oh replied, "Labeling my actions in that way, while calling for a competition based on policy, misses the point."

He further stated, "It would not be an exaggeration to describe the current Lee Jaemyung administration as a runaway train," and added, "We must do our utmost to ensure that the public's desire to check the arrogance and authoritarianism of the current government is meaningfully reflected in the results of this local election."

Oh also criticized Jeong, saying, "Jeong defined this election from the perspective that if Seoul falls, the Lee Jaemyung administration's soft authoritarianism will peak, and now seems to suggest we should only focus on policy competition without such concerns." He continued, "However, I believe it is essential to include a message of checks and balances against this administration, which has continued its arrogance and runaway behavior since taking power."

When asked if he planned to meet Chairman Jang, who is returning to Korea on April 20, Oh said, "The candidate-centered campaign will naturally begin," adding, "Currently, about 80 to 90 percent of nominations have been completed, and from now on, the role of the party leadership will naturally decrease while the campaign will become more candidate-centered."

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