People Power Party Seoul Seocho-gu Mayor Candidate in Foggy 'Confusion'... When Will the Conclusion Come?

Amid fierce competition between senior and junior candidates Jeon Seongsu and Hwang Insik, both from Seoul, for the People Power Party's Seocho District Mayor nomination, Seocho-area women protested in front of former candidates' campaign offices on the morning of the 28th, drawing attention to potential last-minute impacts.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The nomination from the People Power Party is almost equivalent to a certificate of election for the Seoul Seocho District Mayor candidate.

While the Seocho District Mayor candidate remains unclear, a fierce contest is underway among former Incheon Deputy Mayor Jeon Seong-su, originally from Seoul; Hwang In-sik, a candidate with strong local ties to Seocho who started his public service career in Seocho and served as the Seoul City Administrative Director; and former announcer and ex-assemblyman Yoo Jeong-hyun.

The People Power Party has already announced candidates for mayoral primaries in 19 districts including Jung-gu, Seongdong-gu, and Gwangjin-gu in Seoul, planning to select candidates through opinion polls on the 29th and 30th. However, six districts including Seocho-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and Jungnang-gu have yet to finalize their candidates.

Among these, Seocho-gu is the most fiercely contested autonomous district.

In particular, prospective candidates Hwang In-sik and Jeon Seong-su have each promoted their strengths and claimed to be the most suitable candidates, advocating for either running unopposed or holding a primary election.

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 28th, some female voters from Seocho held a press conference in front of Jeon Seong-su’s campaign office, demanding his withdrawal from the Seocho District Mayor race and an explanation regarding his alleged cover-up of sexual harassment by a subordinate during his tenure as Incheon Deputy Mayor. They protested, stating, "Upon reading media reports that former Seocho District Mayor candidate Jeon Seong-su, while serving as Incheon Deputy Mayor, took no investigative or confirmatory action regarding a fixed-term female public official who was sexually harassed, Seocho female voters were outraged" (photo).

In response, Jeon Seong-su stated, “It is regrettable that people affiliated with certain candidates are engaging in negative and defamatory campaigns, causing secondary and tertiary harm to the victim,” adding, “Both then and now, I have consistently believed that the utmost protection of the victim is necessary.”

However, it remains to be seen how this issue will affect the final candidate selection amid the ongoing fierce competition.

Meanwhile, the Seocho District Mayor prospective candidates include former candidates Jeon and Hwang, Yoo Jeong-hyun, former Seocho District Council Chairman Noh Tae-wook, lawyer Jo So-hyun, and Shin Hyo-jung, Senior Vice President of the Clean Politics Forum.