"The Golden Time for Candidate Unification is This November"
Lee Jun-seok on Mayor Oh's Draft Rumors: "An Interesting Conspiracy Theory"
"Just a Story to Entertain Gossipers," Draws the Line
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Amid recent discussions in political circles about the possibility of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon being drafted as a presidential candidate, Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, projected that it could be possible "if there is a demand within the party." However, he drew a line by saying that, for now, the likelihood of Mayor Oh stepping down and running as an opposition presidential candidate is very low.
On the 28th, appearing on TBS Radio's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory," Kim was asked by host Kim Eo-jun, "Is there a chance Mayor Oh could be drafted (for the presidential election) someday?" Kim replied, "Mayor Oh is unlikely to want to run," but added, "If it becomes a national mandate within the party, he could come out."
Kim further explained, "(It is) realistically difficult for Mayor Oh to jump into the primary in early September. For example, if our party's candidate is selected in early November but their approval rating is significantly lower than the ruling party's candidate, there will be calls to replace the candidate."
He continued, "Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People Party, will likely demand candidate unification with our party if he runs in the presidential election, which would be around November," and explained, "Mayor Oh would have to resign by December 9 to run, and that period is the golden window."
He added, "The possibility is almost none, but if we were to speculate, that would be it," and said, "Since candidate unification is inevitable, the logic of gathering all candidates at the end is quite possible."
However, Kim emphasized that the possibility of Mayor Oh being 'drafted' for the presidential election at this time is almost none. He criticized, "Those who talk about this theory (Oh Se-hoon presidential draft theory) are Yeouido debt fortune-tellers," and said, "They should all be sent to Gyeryongsan."
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is speaking at a video conference on COVID-19 measures held between Seoul City and autonomous districts on the 27th. / Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, some in political circles raised the possibility that Mayor Oh could be drafted as an opposition presidential candidate. This argument suggests that if former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's approval rating drops significantly, Mayor Oh should step up as an alternative. Regarding this, TBS "News Factory" host Kim said on the broadcast, "Mayor Oh and former Yoon are in a zero-sum political relationship," and evaluated, "Yoon Seok-youl has to fall for Oh Se-hoon to come out."
However, the actual likelihood of Mayor Oh running in the presidential election currently appears very low. On the 26th, when former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon asked on CBS Radio's "One Round Match" if he had seen conspiracy theory articles suggesting that Lee Jun-seok is trying to promote Mayor Oh for the presidential election, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, dismissed it as an "interesting conspiracy theory," adding, "I see the possibility as very low. It's almost impossible."
Lee pointed out, "Mayor Oh would not get on the August primary bus, and if he runs, it would be a case where the candidate changes after confirmation, but that would already be a losing election," and asked, "Who would want to run in a losing election?"
He added, "Such situations are just stories for gossipers, stories to add some fun," and said, "I have never heard such intentions from Mayor Oh's side either."
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