Jung Won-oh Starts Campaign with 'Hangang Belt'... From Seongdong to Gangnam, Vows to "Reclaim Seoul"

Campaign Kickoff in Seongdong-gu, His Political Hometown
Intensive Campaigning in Seongdong, Gwangjin, Seocho, and Gangnam
Stressing "Safety" at the GTX-A Samseong Station Construction Site
Education Policy Agreement Ceremony with Gangnam 4

On May 21, the official campaign for the 9th nationwide local elections began, and Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, launched his initiative targeting the 'Hangang Belt.' Starting from Seongdong District, his political home base, he is setting his sights on the Gangnam area, the core of the Hangang Belt and a traditional conservative stronghold.

Jung Woon Oh, candidate for Seoul mayor, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily at the campaign office on Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

That morning, Jung, who has served three terms as district mayor, will hold a campaign kickoff event at Wangsimni Station Square in Seongdong District to officially mark the start of his campaign. The event will be attended by key members of the election campaign committee, including Lee In-young, Seo Young-kyo, and Jeon Hyun-hee, as well as the heads of 48 local party committees in Seoul and most of the 25 district mayoral candidates.

Kim Hyungnam, spokesperson for the campaign, stated, "We are reaffirming our resolve to reclaim Seoul as a 'one team' under the Democratic Party," and added, "We expect this event to serve as a catalyst for spreading the trust earned among Seongdong District residents throughout the entire city of Seoul."

In the afternoon, Jung will meet with victims of the youth safe housing deposit non-return crisis in Gwangjin District to hear about their situation and discuss countermeasures. Afterwards, he is scheduled to campaign at Jayang Intersection in Gwangjin, Express Bus Terminal Station in Seocho District, and around Gangnam Square in Gangnam District.

The schedule was also updated to include a visit to the construction site of Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX)-A at Samseong Station in Gangnam District. Jung visited this location on May 17 to inspect the site, and during this visit, he will personally examine the cracks on the fifth basement level that have been recently reported in the media.

At a Kwanhun Club debate held the previous day, Jung criticized, "During Oh Se-hoon's 10 years of mismanagement, Seoul City has been far too complacent," adding, "The responsibility for the city's lack of safety awareness lies with the mayor, as the top official." On this day, he also plans to focus on raising safety issues directed at Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate.

At midnight on the 21st, marking the official start of the campaign for the June 3 local elections, Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, visited the Dong Seoul Postal Sorting Center in Gwangjin District, Seoul. He experienced parcel delivery work alongside Chung Cheong-rae, party leader, and lawmakers Ko Min-jung and Lee Jeong-heon, as well as Moon Jong-cheol, the candidate for Gwangjin District mayor. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In addition, Jung will intensively campaign in Gangnam District, where conservative sentiment is strong and public opinion on real estate, redevelopment, and reconstruction is particularly sensitive.

He will be joined by Han Jeongae, campaign co-chair and chairperson of the Democratic Party’s Gangnam Four Districts Special Committee, Kim Youngho, chairperson of the National Assembly Education Committee, as well as Kim Youngmoo, candidate for Gangnam District mayor; Hwang Insik, candidate for Seocho District mayor; Cho Jaehee, candidate for Songpa District mayor; and Kim Jongmoo, candidate for Gangdong District mayor. The district mayoral candidates from the Gangnam Four Districts will also sign a policy agreement on early reading and artificial intelligence (AI) education.

Jung plans to announce seven major regional pledges: fostering the Yangjae AI·Deep Tech Advanced Zone; phased undergrounding of the Seocho section of the Gyeongbu Expressway; expedited progress on key reconstruction and redevelopment projects such as Shinpangpo Phase 2; AI-based safety management to prevent flooding and sinkholes; development of the Yangjae Meeting Square as a metropolitan transportation hub; promotion of the Arts Center–Nambu Terminal special cultural, arts, and tourism zone; and establishment of the Seocho-style integrated welfare town.

Spokesperson Kim explained, "We are expanding our Hangang Belt strategy into the Gangnam area, expressing the intent to spread the vision for practical administration, residential and transportation urban development, and competitiveness—proven in Seongdong District—across all of Seoul." He added, "Given Jung's historically strong support even in traditional opposition areas such as the Gangnam Four Districts and Yongsan, he plans to express his determination to win throughout Seoul by focusing his campaign around Gangnam Station."

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