Oh Se-hoon "Promise Ambitions Exceed Seoul City's Financial Capacity" vs Na Kyung-won "Just Do a Budget Diet"

People Power Party Seoul Mayor 3rd Rival Debate
Oh Se-hoon Faces Intense Fire on Seoul City Finances
Na Kyung-won Points Out 'Ansim Income' Is Immediately Difficult

Na Kyung-won and Oh Se-hoon, candidates for the Seoul mayoral primary of the People Power Party, are attending the third head-to-head debate for Seoul mayoral preliminary candidates at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 23rd, exchanging fist bumps. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Juni Park] In the third head-to-head debate for the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral primary, candidates Na Kyung-won and Oh Se-hoon clashed over securing funding to realize their proposed pledges.

During the final one-on-one debate held on the 23rd at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Candidate Oh said, "I was overly ambitious with my pledges. After trying to distribute various things, it became unmanageable," criticizing Candidate Na's cash-like pledges. He pointed out that securing funding to implement Na's proposals such as the "Breathing Room Theory" and childcare allowances is practically difficult.

In response, Candidate Na emphasized, "We can cut what needs to be cut while drafting the supplementary budget," adding, "A budget diet is possible."

Candidate Na also questioned Candidate Oh about the guaranteed income he mentioned. She asked, "Have you calculated how much 50% of Seoul's median income costs?" and said, "There definitely needs to be a reorganization of the welfare budget, so (guaranteed income) is difficult to implement immediately."

Candidate Oh replied, "That's not the case," explaining, "Germany and Finland are also preparing for a time of great transformation as jobs decrease." He added, "Guaranteed income aligns with our conservative values," and "We proposed it as an alternative because the Democratic Party must not implement universal basic income if they come to power."

The debate over real estate measures also intensified. Candidate Na criticized, "Sangsaeng Housing is a public housing model leasing private land, but if unused private land is used, building houses in remote areas would practically be inconvenient to live in," and pointed out, "This is not much different from the private property rights issues in Moon Jae-in's 2.4 real estate policy."

Candidate Oh responded, "Those who provide such land receive various tax benefits to maximize land utilization," adding, "It maximizes the use of land where multi-family housing owned by outsiders has aged and become unusable."

Candidate Oh also said that none of Candidate Na's real estate policies would materialize within a year, adding, "This is why the term 'Na Kyung-young' is used." Candidate Na replied, "If permits are expedited, groundbreaking can begin," and said, "I will build leased land housing on vehicle depots." She emphasized, "Four out of ten vehicle depots are in Seoul, and in one of them, Changdong, I will build a venture town."