'Skilled from Day One' Oh Se-hoon's Focus on Promoting Policies... Emphasizing Cooperation and Communication with City Council and Districts
Actively Proposing 'Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine' and 'Introduction of Self-Test Kits'... Statements on 'Sewol Ferry 7th Anniversary' and 'Sexual Violence Cases'
Early Acceptance of Free Kindergarten Meals... Taking a Step Back on Seoul-style Coexistence Quarantine and Real Estate Policies
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is giving a greeting at the 'Seoul Vision 2030 Committee Launch Ceremony' held on the 3rd at the Seoul City Hall Multipurpose Hall. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has marked one month since his inauguration. During this time, Mayor Oh has focused on promoting his so-called "Oh Se-hoon style" administration under the slogan "Skilled from Day One," while emphasizing cooperation and communication by meeting with the central government, Seoul Metropolitan Council, and the Seoul District Mayors' Association to overcome the limitations of his one-year term and solidify his position. Meanwhile, policies proposed during the election period, such as revisiting COVID-19 quarantine measures, introducing self-test kits, restructuring the Gwanghwamun Plaza project, and revitalizing reconstruction and redevelopment, have been approached with a focus on adjusting the pace.
According to Seoul City, Mayor Oh, who took office on the 8th of last month, concentrated on introducing himself as Seoul’s mayor through two cabinet meetings, nine press briefings, and one inaugural speech within the month. Most of the press briefings were held without prior schedule announcements to enhance dramatic effect and increase attention. The key topics Mayor Oh presented dramatically to Seoul citizens were ▲ Seoul-style coexistence quarantine ▲ introduction of self-test kits ▲ Gwanghwamun Plaza restructuring project ▲ real estate market stabilization measures. The Seoul-style coexistence quarantine, which differentiates business hours for entertainment establishments, and the introduction of self-test kits attracted considerable attention and sparked some controversy early in his term.
To distinguish himself from the Moon Jae-in administration and former Mayor Park Won-soon and to clarify his stance, Mayor Oh also used the same approach for announcements. On the 16th of last month, through a statement on the 7th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, he emphasized, “The president still focuses on fact-finding. To overcome the helplessness and guilt felt seven years ago, we will begin reviewing disaster and crisis response systems and create a ‘Manual Seoul.’” On the 20th, he issued an apology regarding sexual violence victims during former Mayor Park’s tenure, stating, “As the current mayor representing Seoul, I sincerely apologize for the sexual harassment and sexual violence incidents during the previous mayor’s term.” He also pledged measures such as a ‘one-strike-out system’ to eradicate sexual violence and the establishment of a dedicated special task force led by external experts. This announcement was seen as enhancing the credibility of the ‘Oh Se-hoon style’ administration by differentiating from the previous mayor.
At the opening ceremony held on the 15th at the entrance of Sinwol-Yeoui Underpass in Yeouido, Seoul, Mayor Oh Se-hoon encouraged the construction workers. The Sinwol-Yeoui Underpass, which opens at midnight on the 16th, is a deep underground tunnel with four lanes in both directions, directly connecting the southwestern area of Seoul (Sinwol IC) and the city center (Yeouidaero, Olympic-daero). It stretches a total of 7.53 km and is located 50 to 70 meters below the National Assembly-daero. It was completed 5 years and 6 months after the groundbreaking in October 2015. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Mayor Oh also demonstrated an active approach by conducting 12 external field visits to reinforce his image. Starting with the Seongdong District Vaccination Center on the 8th of last month, he visited the COVID-19 dedicated hospital Seobuk Hospital, Dasan Call Foundation, Sinwol-Yeoui underground road, Jangwi 10th district burial site, and Sejong-daero People’s Forest Path, among others, to receive on-site reports and directly oversee operations. On April 12 and May 6, he completed two field visits in one day, and during the visit to Dasan Call Foundation on the 12th, he proudly remarked, “I named it during my previous term.”
He also spent busy times overcoming practical limitations. Having held 10 external meetings so far, Mayor Oh, limited by his one-year term as an opposition party mayor, repeatedly sought policy cooperation by meeting with the central government, city council, and district mayors’ association. On the 8th of last month, his first external schedule was a visit to the city council, where he requested cooperation from the chairpersons. On the 14th, he met with executives of the district mayors’ association to strengthen his weak position. He also requested cooperation from Environment Minister Han Jeong-ae to resolve the metropolitan landfill site issue and held introductory meetings with the British, American, and Chinese ambassadors to discuss vaccine cooperation and exchange collaboration.
Sensitive policies have been handled with pace adjustment and supplementation. During this process, some policies sparked controversy over changing positions, leading to repeated explanations. Regarding the Seoul-style coexistence quarantine, which differentiates business hours by industry and business type for entertainment establishments, and the introduction of diagnostic test kits, he stepped back by stating these would be promoted in consultation with the central government. The Gwanghwamun Plaza restructuring project was decided to continue despite the sunk cost of 40 billion KRW, contrary to his campaign claims. Free kindergarten meals, which were not part of his pledges, were adopted to maintain fairness with daycare centers following the city council’s request.
Furthermore, the core pledge of ‘speed housing supply,’ focusing on revitalizing redevelopment and reconstruction, shifted to “first eradicating real estate market disruption” as apartment prices fluctuated. The youth monthly rent policy initiated by former Mayor Park was also expanded by allocating an additional 60 billion KRW in supplementary budget, increasing beneficiaries from 5,000 to 50,000. A Seoul city official explained, “To sustain administrative power, we emphasize cooperation and communication to achieve results while minimizing organizational changes,” adding, “The scope of upcoming organizational restructuring is expected to be limited.”
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is greeting Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University at the 'Seoul Vision 2030 Committee Launch Ceremony' held on the 3rd at the multipurpose hall of Seoul City Hall. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
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