Similar Seoul Mayor Candidates' Pledges... Who Is the 'Original'?

Oh Se-hoon's '3 Major Seoul Economic Festivals' - Ahn Cheol-soo's 'Global Seoul Economy Pledge' Similar
Na Kyung-won's Return of Seoul Mayor's Official Residence, Preliminary Primary Loser Kim Geun-sik's Pledge Recalled
Repeat and Third-time Candidates' Pledges Similar... "Differentiation Needed to Win" Also Pointed Out

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] Ahead of the April 7 by-elections to elect the mayors of Seoul and Busan, there are criticisms from voters that the pledges presented by each party's candidates are very similar, lacking distinctiveness. Some pledges are so alike that it is difficult to tell "which one is the original and who copied whom." Experts analyze that the election is becoming a "premature election" due to its sudden decision and progression. There is also an expectation that this election will highlight strengths in details rather than broad declarative pledges.

For example, the "Three Major Seoul Economic Axes" pledge presented by Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party primary candidate, is similar in content to the "Global Seoul Economic City" pledge previously proposed by Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party primary candidate. Oh’s core pledge is to create industrial hub cities in Seoul’s Magok, G-Valley, and Seocho-Gangnam areas, which is similar in purpose and region to Ahn’s plan to designate ten fusion economic innovation zones in areas including Magok, G-Valley, and Yangjae to foster industrial districts tailored to each region’s characteristics.

The "Return of the Seoul Mayor’s Official Residence" pledge announced by Na Kyung-won, the People Power Party primary candidate, on the 16th also recalls the key pledge of Kim Geun-sik, a professor at Gyeongnam National University who was eliminated in the Seoul mayoral preliminary election. Unlike Professor Kim, who only proposed "returning the official residence," Na’s pledge adds the plan to build a "Seoul City Reception Hall" using the residence’s operating funds.

Given this situation, rare "plagiarism disputes" have arisen in the political sphere. On the 16th, during a "head-to-head debate" among People Power Party primary candidates, Cho Eun-hee accused Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party primary candidate, of plagiarizing her pledge of "25 multi-core cities" with Park’s "21-minute compact city" pledge. Cho also raised suspicions that Park copied her pledge to underground the Gyeongbu Expressway.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Na also stirred controversy by visiting Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, alongside Oh on the 15th to announce the "Sangam Landmark Construction" pledge. Oh’s pledge is to revive the "DMC 133-story Landmark Building" project he promoted during his tenure as Seoul mayor in 2009, while Na declared plans to attract a landmark building over 100 stories, referencing Oh’s project. There are many commonalities among pledges such as introducing a digital vice mayor in Seoul or implementing a "one strike out" policy for sexual misconduct as part of sexual violence prevention measures, making it difficult to find differences between candidates.

Park Sang-chul, dean of the Graduate School of Political Studies at Kyonggi University, pointed out, "Unlike former mayors such as former President Lee Myung-bak and the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, candidates are unable to present bold pledges that symbolize themselves." There is also an analysis that the similarity in pledges is due to candidates being repeat election candidates. Professor Lee Jun-han of Incheon National University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy analyzed, "Most candidates have run two or three times over more than ten years, so they often recycle pledges, and in doing so, they sometimes refer to other candidates’ pledges."

There is also a view that if each candidate focuses on specific details such as implementation plans or funding methods, they can succeed in differentiating themselves within a limited scope. Professor Park Won-ho of Seoul National University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy said, "What matters is the method of execution," adding, "The difference in candidates’ abilities lies in the 'details'?how they plan to realize their pledges rather than what pledges they present."