Seoul Mayor Candidates, Impatient Moves Turn 'Winning Strategies' into 'Overreaches'

Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party (from left), Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, Heo Myung, president of the Korean Women’s Associations United, and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, are posing for a commemorative photo at the 113th International Women's Day ceremony held on the afternoon of the 8th at the Air Force Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] With three weeks left until the Seoul mayoral by-election, each candidate is making their 'decisive move.' However, some quarters are reacting by questioning whether this is a reckless act driven by impatience.

On the 16th, a day earlier, Ahn Cheol-soo, the candidate of the People’s Party, officially expressed his intention to pursue a merger with the People Power Party for opposition unity. At a press conference held at the National Assembly, Ahn said, "I will become the unified opposition candidate and form an integrated election committee with the People Power Party to lay a practical foundation for opposition unity," adding, "If I become the mayor of Seoul, I will seek the consent of the People’s Party members and push for a merger with the People Power Party."

He clearly indicated that even if he does not become the unified candidate, he will continue to pursue the merger. After the press conference, when meeting with reporters, Ahn responded "Yes" to the question, "Even if you are not the unified candidate, are you keeping the door open for a merger for grand unity?"

Regarding this, Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, criticized, "I don’t quite understand what he is saying," and pointed out, "He told us to join his party, but at that time he said it was impossible to win under the People Power Party’s banner. Why is he suddenly talking about a merger now?"

On the 16th, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate, said at the 'Seoul mayoral candidate unification debate,' "If any Seoul city official or Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH) employee who experienced or received instructions related to the designation of the Naegok-dong public housing site comes forward, please make a conscience declaration immediately," emphasizing, "If even one person steps forward, I will immediately withdraw my candidacy." This expressed his confidence that he is not involved in the Naegok-dong controversy.

The ruling party immediately launched an attack on this. On the 17th, Go Min-jung, spokesperson for Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party candidate, criticized in a statement titled "Oh Se-hoon’s Habitual Withdrawal Remarks," saying, "Public office is a position of responsibility. Judgments about right and wrong are entrusted to the people during elections, and politicians must accept the results gracefully," adding, "Trying to cover up lies leads to more lies, and feeling suspected by people leads to the mistake of giving up one’s position."

Candidate Park has been focusing on negative attacks against other candidates without showing significant achievements. On the same day, at a press conference held at her campaign office, Park criticized the TV debate between Oh and Ahn, saying, "Oh is just like MB, who does not tell the truth," and "Ahn lacks administrative experience and therefore cannot pinpoint the core issues."

Political commentator Park Sang-byeong explained, "Oh’s strong expression of will is good, but mentioning 'withdrawal' seems inappropriate," adding, "Ahn is asking People Power Party supporters to vote for him, but since People Power Party supporters will vote for Oh, not Ahn, it has become a self-defeating move." Park further said, "If Candidate Park intensifies negative campaigning, she might end up making statements that are not factual, which could not only harm herself but also make her appear frivolous."