Kim Jong-in Urges Oh to 'Watch His Words'
On the afternoon of the 26th, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, climbed onto a campaign vehicle at the Yongmun Market intersection in Seoul to appeal for support. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] With the Seoul mayoral by-election just ten days away, controversy has erupted over People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon's remark about ‘severe dementia patients.’ Given that the United Future Party faced backlash from a series of verbal gaffes during the final stages of the April 15 general election, the People Power Party is also on high alert regarding the potential fallout.
On the morning of the 26th, while campaigning in front of Jeungmi Station in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, candidate Oh criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s real estate policy, saying, "When I pointed out during my speech that ‘the people are in an uproar over rising housing prices, but the president himself says the real estate market is stable, as if he were a severe dementia patient,’ I was told it was an excessive expression," adding, "Can the opposition not even use such expressions?"
This was a defense following renewed controversy over his October 2019 speech at the Taegeukgi rally in Gwanghwamun Square, where he said, "The president says our economy is on the right track, but that’s nonsense like the ramblings of a severe dementia patient."
In response, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized candidate Oh on Facebook that day, saying, "If you want to win, shut your mouth," and added, "This person has no sense at all. The party even issued a warning about verbal gaffes."
Verbal gaffes by candidates during election season significantly influence voters’ sentiments and can determine the outcome. In the April 15, 2019 general election, remarks such as candidate Kim Dae-ho’s ‘generation of ignorance and delusion in their 30s and 40s’ and candidate Cha Myung-jin’s verbal gaffe about the ‘Sewol ferry victims’ tents’ were cited as reasons for their defeat.
Earlier, in February during the People Power Party’s preliminary candidate period, Oh faced public backlash after raising suspicions on Facebook that the letter ‘v’ in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s disclosed ‘North Korean nuclear power plant construction document’ title might refer to ‘VIP,’ meaning the president. He later turned the ‘v’ controversy into an election strategy to overcome the crisis.
As candidate Oh’s remarks stirred controversy, efforts to contain the situation emerged within the party. Kim Jong-in, the People Power Party’s Emergency Response Committee chairman, said, "I heard that candidate Oh made an extreme remark in excitement, but I believe such incidents will not happen again." He added, "That’s why when I held the first election countermeasures committee meeting, I advised him to be careful with his words."
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