[2025 Inspection] From the Start, "Myung Tae-gyun"... Oh Sehoon: "Mr. Myung Is Extremely Skilled at Lying"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is undergoing an inspection by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on the 23rd. Following the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's inspection, which saw disputes over responsibility for rising housing prices, this session is expected to feature an all-out confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the "Myung Tae-gyun Gate" allegations. The ruling party is also set to intensify its criticism of Oh's key project, the "Hangang Bus."

The inspection by the Public Administration and Security Committee, held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 23rd, began with the "Myung Tae-gyun Gate." Kwon Chilseung, a member of the Democratic Party, asked Mayor Oh about his position regarding the statements made by Mr. Myung, who appeared as a witness in the trial of First Lady Kim Keonhee the previous day. Mr. Myung mentioned Mayor Oh, saying, "Do you know why he is still out there walking around?" and alleged that crimes were being covered up.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is giving a work report at the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Seoul City held at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

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However, Mayor Oh responded, "That person is extremely skilled at lying. It is not true." Mayor Oh has repeatedly emphasized his previous position that "Mr. Myung intentionally approached me, and after meeting twice, I severed all ties."

Ruling party lawmakers are expected to further escalate their criticism of the Hangang Bus, following the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's inspection on the 20th. They plan to continue raising concerns about safety after operations for citizens were suspended just ten days after launch due to malfunctions, as well as pointing out the excessive financial burden the project places on the city. Furthermore, the Public Administration and Security Committee, led by the Democratic Party, requested four witnesses-including Son Jeongil, CEO of Gadeok Heavy Industries, and Kim Seonjik, CEO of Hangang Bus-to question Mayor Oh about the Hangang Bus. The Democratic Party is expected to scrutinize the project's initial plans, the process of building the vessels, and the selection of contractors from the very beginning of the Hangang Bus project.

In his opening remarks, Mayor Oh stated, "Unprecedented changes are sweeping in, including uncertainty in the real estate market, high inflation, job insecurity among young people, rapid aging and changes in population structure, as well as various disasters and the climate crisis. Seoul has turned policies necessary for citizens' daily lives into reality, and now we will move even faster and with greater precision."

Political broker Mr. Myung is scheduled to appear as a witness in the afternoon. Mayor Oh is facing allegations that, during the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, he received unpublished poll results from the Future Korea Research Institute-run by Mr. Myung-and that Kim Hanjeong, known as a supporter of Mayor Oh, paid the related expenses on his behalf.

The Democratic Party has announced its intention to reignite the "Myung Tae-gyun Gate" allegations surrounding Mayor Oh. The Democratic Party's Special Committee for Preparing a New Seoul held a press conference at the National Assembly the previous day, stating, "This will be a critical turning point in uncovering illegal polling and the alleged payment of polling expenses on behalf of Mayor Oh." The committee added, "Of the 25 polls conducted by the Future Korea Research Institute, which was effectively run by Mr. Myung, 13 were related to Mayor Oh, and there are strong suspicions that some were conducted for illegal opinion manipulation. There is no longer any way to escape with lies. If Mayor Oh is confident in his innocence, he should speak directly in front of Mr. Myung tomorrow."

In response, Kim Byungmin, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul, criticized, "Despite there being no legal risk for Mayor Oh, the Democratic Party is fabricating non-existent issues and pushing for investigations. The arena for healthy policy competition and discussions on how to make Seoul a better city has completely disappeared." He added, "There is growing concern that they are trying to drag Mayor Oh into a political mudslinging contest, turning this into a dirty election from the start. As for this inspection, the issue of calling Mr. Myung as a witness and how things will proceed from here will be judged and evaluated by the citizens."

Other points of interest include the differing evaluations by the ruling and opposition parties regarding policies such as "Seoul Learn," the Climate Companion Card, and the Stepping Stone Income program, all of which are part of the "Companion with the Vulnerable" initiative and have received positive feedback from citizens. Issues such as sinkholes, the Namsan gondola, the TBS controversy, the Ferris wheel, and floating hotels may also come to the forefront.

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