Three Challenges O Se-hoon Must Overcome Upon Return: Term, Joint Operation, and City Council

One Year and Three Months Term, Key Promises Including Speedy Housing Supply Require 'Parliamentary Cooperation'
Joint City Administration with the People’s Party, Outlook Emerging Alongside Personnel Changes

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Seobuk Hospital in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul on the 9th to receive an explanation about COVID-19 response from hospital officials. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The administration of Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who returned as Seoul mayor after 10 years by overcoming the 'Naegok-dong land suspicion,' is expected to face considerable challenges. With only 1 year and 3 months left until the local elections in June next year, he must also coordinate with the People’s Party, which promised joint administration. Moreover, cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Council, where the majority of members belong to the Democratic Party of Korea, is another hurdle to overcome.

There are quite a few obstacles in the process of fulfilling what is called Oh Se-hoon’s pledges. The physically short period of 1 year and 3 months is a burden for Mayor Oh. Although he emphasizes ‘speed’ so much that speedy housing supply and speedy transportation are his top two pledges, it is difficult to achieve results within such a short term, according to observations inside and outside Seoul City Hall.

Ironically, the promise of joint administration with the People’s Party, which helped in the mayoral election, may become a burden going forward and limit his room for maneuver. When asked by reporters on his first day at work on the 8th, Mayor Oh avoided a direct answer, saying, “I have already said everything.” Right after his election was confirmed, he only outlined a broad direction, saying, “Starting policy cooperation is the priority,” and “You will see us regularly discussing and taking care of matters together.”

The form of joint administration is expected to become clearer during the personnel and organizational restructuring process of Seoul City Hall. In the little over one year left in his term, Mayor Oh must also consider cooperation with Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People’s Party. Some analysts warn that if Ahn demands a significant stake in the direction of city administration, uncertainty will inevitably increase.

In addition, cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Council and autonomous districts is essential. Especially, Mayor Oh’s housing and transportation pledges require revising various ordinances and allocating budgets to be implemented. Of the 110 seats in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, 101 are held by the Democratic Party of Korea. If the direction conflicts greatly with the ruling party and central government, progress will be impossible.

Conscious of this, Mayor Oh made a visit to the city council his first external schedule after his first day at work. He met with Kim In-ho, chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and other council leaders, asking, “Please help ensure smooth city administration,” and promised, “I will truly serve you well.” However, since the council leaders urged the continuation of former Mayor Park Won-soon’s projects and the prevention of disadvantages to existing public officials, and the council announced it would submit a request for an administrative investigation into Mayor Oh’s Naegok-dong land issue on the 19th, a clash seems inevitable.

Right after meeting Mayor Oh, Chairman Kim sent an email to all Seoul city officials stating, “Since the new mayor’s term is 1 year and 3 months, what citizens expect is not any major achievements or sudden changes but stable city administration and efforts toward restoring people’s livelihoods.” He also emphasized that the stability of the organization should be prioritized over excessive personnel reshuffles or organizational restructuring to ensure that Seoul’s existing projects proceed consistently without disruption.

A Seoul city official assessed, “Ahead of next year’s presidential and local elections, policies that can quickly produce results are expected to continue,” adding, “Cooperation with the city council and autonomous districts to smoothly resolve these matters depends on the new mayor’s political skills.”