Oh Se-hoon "Bill Gates Also Emphasizes Nuclear Power" vs Park Young-sun "Premature Like During Free School Meals"

Debate Over Bill Gates Quote Cited by Candidate Park
Candidate Oh: "Bill Gates' Claim Means Nuclear Power Is Necessary"
Candidate Park: "I'm Not a Nuclear Power Advocate... Need to Understand the Content Accurately"

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayoral primary, is participating in the '1st Head-to-Head Debate to Change Seoul' held on the afternoon of the 16th at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Oh Se-hoon, the preliminary candidate of the People Power Party, and Park Young-sun, the preliminary candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, who are running in the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, engaged in a heated debate on the topic of nuclear power plants. When Oh criticized Park, saying she was selectively quoting Bill Gates' remarks about the necessity of nuclear power, Park responded by saying, "It's premature, just like the free school meals controversy 10 years ago."

On the 16th, Oh opened fire first in a post on his Facebook, asking, "Did candidate Park Young-sun mention Bill Gates' words and book without knowing the content?"

He then pointed out, "She is selectively choosing what suits her, swallowing the sweet and spitting out the bitter." Earlier, on the 15th, Park had cited Microsoft founder Bill Gates during the MBC current affairs program '100-Minute Debate' while explaining her so-called 'carbon neutrality (achieving zero carbon emissions)' pledge.

Regarding this, Oh said, "What Bill Gates emphasizes most is that nuclear power is absolutely necessary to achieve 'carbon zero' by 2050," and criticized, "Does candidate Park mention Bill Gates' words and book without knowing this content?"

Park Young-sun, the preliminary candidate for Seoul mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing healthcare policies centered on one-stop healthcare at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's major transformation non-face-to-face policy presentation held at Anguk Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 16th. / Photo by Yonhap News

In response to Oh's criticism, Park countered, saying, "Bill Gates is not a nuclear power enthusiast."

On the 17th, Park wrote on Facebook, "(Oh candidate) is always hasty. He thinks of one thing and ignores the other," adding, "Just like when he resigned 10 years ago for failing to read the times regarding the free school meals issue."

Regarding Oh's accusation that she was selectively quoting Bill Gates, Park responded, "(Bill Gates) is interested in next-generation reactors called traveling wave reactors due to the risks of nuclear power," and added, "It seems necessary to accurately understand the content and respect the opponent."

Candidate Park, who appeared on MBC's '100-Minute Debate,' is participating in the discussion. / Photo by Yonhap News

In response, Oh posted again on Facebook the same day, strongly criticizing, "Candidate Park is just playing with words," and said, "She lacks the qualifications to be Seoul mayor."

He continued, "I have never opposed free school meals themselves in 2011. I proposed 'free school meals for the bottom 50% of income students,'" and criticized, "She always says I am hasty and is quick to frame me with the free school meals issue again."

He also asked, "Is Bill Gates' next-generation reactor not a nuclear power plant?" and emphasized, "This is why the qualifications of a Seoul mayor candidate and the Seoul mayor must be prepared."

Meanwhile, Bill Gates simultaneously released his book 'How to Avoid a Climate Disaster' worldwide on the 16th.

In this book, Bill Gates argues that the world must achieve carbon neutrality to overcome the climate crisis, and especially emphasizes that developed countries should develop nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.