Seoul Mayor Candidate Oh Se-hoon Declares Candidacy: "Moon Administration's Failure Cannot Lead to South Korea's Failure"

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Seoul Mayor's Midterm Resignation Leaves Huge Debt... Running with a Repentant Heart

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon declared on the 17th that he will run for Seoul mayor. Oh held a press conference on the 7th and stated that he would run if Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, did not join the People Power Party or merge by that day, expressing a ‘conditional candidacy’ intention.

On the morning of the same day, Oh explained the background of his decision to run at Bukseoul Dream Forest in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, saying, “The incompetence and failures of the ignorant Moon Jae-in administration cannot become the failure of the Republic of Korea, built with blood and sweat, nor the failure of all the people.”

He pointed out, “To change the regime, we must win the Seoul mayoral election, and for the country to survive, the capital Seoul must survive. However, Seoul is still under threat from COVID-19 endangering citizens’ lives and has long become a gambling table due to skyrocketing housing prices.”

He continued, “With the mayor’s office vacant due to the predecessor mayor’s sexual harassment crime, the city failed to prepare even for a single heavy snowfall, causing the city to come to a halt, leaving it in a critical state. To save Seoul in crisis, an experienced and seasoned mayor who can immediately take charge of city administration and perform CPR from the day after election is needed.”

Oh emphasized his experience as Seoul mayor to differentiate himself from other opposition candidates. He said, “I have a secret weapon that other candidates do not have: the administrative experience accumulated over five years as a two-term mayor. The critically ill Seoul cannot afford the trial and error and policy experiments of an amateur rookie mayor, a one-year intern mayor, or a practice mayor.”

However, he issued an apology regarding his mid-term resignation from the mayoral office 10 years ago due to a referendum on free school meals. He said, “I had great personal anguish over whether it was right for someone who owes a huge debt to Seoul citizens and the party due to mid-term resignation 10 years ago to step forward. I owe a great debt due to the mid-term resignation. With a repentant heart and greater responsibility, I stand here.”

Below is the full text of the candidacy declaration

For a Korea That Runs Again, For Seoul

Respected citizens, Seoul residents!

How hard was your day today?

Small business owners and self-employed people hit hard by COVID-19!

How desperate is your situation?

On January 7th, I made a firm decision that, regardless of political interests, I would not run if the opposition unified for the Seoul mayoral election, which will be the cornerstone for regime change, but if not, I would have no choice but to run.

Unfortunately, it has now become difficult to expect pre-unification. It was a decision made out of sincere desire to achieve ‘opposition unification’ for regime change and was a proposal judged to completely block the possibility of opposition division in advance. However, I apologize for not fully considering the wishes of party members and those who hoped for my candidacy beforehand.

I have long struggled with personal remorse over whether it is right for someone who owes a great debt to Seoul citizens and our party due to mid-term resignation from the Seoul mayor’s office 10 years ago to step forward like this.

Looking back, I, Oh Se-hoon, have received more benefits from the people and society than anyone else, and I owe a great debt due to mid-term resignation from the mayor’s office.

Thanks to the choice of Seoul citizens, I became the youngest elected mayor at the age of forty-five and was able to lead the administration of the capital Seoul for five years, gaining valuable experience and wisdom.

During that process, there were immature choices and unfinished tasks. Therefore, with a repentant heart and greater responsibility, I stand here.

The past ten years of bitter reflection have been a precious time to look back on myself and steadily prepare for the future. Through failure, I have become a more flexible and resilient person.

Now, in the face of a national crisis, I believe it is my duty to lead and do my best, however small, in return for the benefits I have received from you and society.

Respected citizens, Seoul residents!

After just one night, housing prices soar, causing a real estate frenzy. During the three years of the Moon Jae-in administration, the median price of apartments in Seoul surged by 52%, and the increase was more than four times that of the nine years under the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations combined.

Ordinary people without a home are driven to the outskirts as rental houses become scarce, and even young people are jumping into this real estate crisis by so-called ‘all-in’ borrowing.

The gap in net assets between the top 20% and bottom 20% widened from 100 times in 2017, when the Moon administration began, to 167 times in 2020, deepening the wealth gap and polarization beyond repair.

In such a situation, who can have the simple hope that if they work hard, they can at least secure a small home and live a better life?

Division instead of national unity, dictatorship and disregard for the rule of law, destruction of fairness and common sense?these are not atoned for even by President Moon’s profound apology.

The irreversible greater sin of the Moon Jae-in administration is that it pushed the lives of the common people, vulnerable groups, and youth?whom they claimed to prioritize?to the edge of a cliff, kicked away the ladder of social mobility, and completely cut off the sprouts of hope for the future. President Moon and his entire cabinet should prostrate themselves in Gwanghwamun Square and apologize to the people.

Dear citizens, Seoul residents!

Nevertheless, we cannot allow the incompetence and failure of this unprepared Moon Jae-in administration to become the failure of the Republic of Korea, built with blood and sweat, nor the failure of all the people. This is the urgent reason why I decided to run for Seoul mayor.

To change the regime, we must win the Seoul mayoral election, and for the country to survive, the capital Seoul must survive. If Seoul stops, the Republic of Korea stops.

But Seoul is still under threat from COVID-19 endangering citizens’ lives and has long become a gambling table due to skyrocketing housing prices. As stores close one after another, ghost streets with lights out are increasing, and small business owners and self-employed people are being driven to the streets in the harsh winter.

With the mayor’s office vacant due to the predecessor mayor’s sexual harassment crime, the city failed to prepare even for a single heavy snowfall, causing the city to come to a halt?in short, it is in a critical state.

To save Seoul in this crisis, an experienced and seasoned mayor who can immediately take charge of city administration and perform CPR from the day after election is needed. The incompetence of the Moon administration, which had only slogans and ideals but no experience or preparation, is the greatest lesson for us.

I, Oh Se-hoon, have a secret weapon that other candidates do not have: the ‘administrative experience’ accumulated over five years as a two-term mayor.

Seoul, with a population of ten million, an annual budget exceeding 40 trillion won, and 45,000 public officials including district offices, is essentially a small government overseeing all policies and functions except national defense?economy and jobs, construction and transportation, housing and welfare, environment, culture, and more.

However, the Seoul mayor elected through this April by-election will have less than one year to work. In such a short time, it is impossible even to properly understand the vast Seoul city organization and projects.

The confusion and suffering of citizens due to administrative chaos and vacancy are obvious.

The critically ill Seoul cannot afford the trial and error and policy experiments of an amateur rookie mayor, a one-year intern mayor, or a practice mayor.

Therefore, it is all the more important for the next Seoul mayor to have an understanding of and experience in Seoul city administration to start working immediately the day after the election.

Respected citizens, Seoul residents!

I will now focus on becoming the Seoul mayoral candidate of the main opposition party, People Power Party, and do my best to convey my sincerity, policies, and vision. I will surely win the Seoul mayoral election and fulfill the mission of regime change in 2022 together with the people.

I believe that the historic demand and task of unifying opposition candidates will be fulfilled by the wise citizens and Seoul residents who long for regime change.

Thank you.