[6.1 Local Elections] Why Is the 'Oh Se-hoon Marketing' Trend Strong Among Seoul District Mayor Candidates?

Kim Kyung-ho Gwangjin· Na Jin-gu Jungnang· Seo Gang-seok Songpa· Park Hee-young Yongsan District Mayor Candidates and Other People Power Party Seoul District Mayor Candidates' 'Oh Se-hoon One Team Marketing' Fever Heats Up

Kim Kyung-ho, the People Power Party candidate for Gwangjin District Mayor, is having a conversation while visiting Imagination Land together with Mayor Oh Se-hoon (far left), who visited Children's Grand Park in the area on the 5th.

A hanging painting in the office of Najin-gu, the People Power Party candidate for Jungnang District Mayor, shows Mayor Oh Se-hoon and candidate Najin-gu standing side by side.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Mayor Oh Se-hoon is enjoying peak popularity.

Mayor Oh, who is challenging to become Seoul's first four-term elected mayor, has been leading by a significant margin in successive opinion polls compared to his opponents, prompting the People Power Party's Seoul district mayor candidates to actively court him.

Since the People Power Party's Seoul district mayor primaries, prospective candidates have been visiting the mayor's office in a continuous stream to take photos with Mayor Oh.

Now that the People Power Party's Seoul district mayor candidates have been finalized, some have displayed photos taken with Mayor Oh not only on their SNS but also on banners hung in their campaign offices.

Especially, Seoul district mayor candidates who share a close connection with Mayor Oh are making great efforts to show that they are a ‘one team’ with him.

Many candidates such as Kim Kyung-ho, candidate for Gwangjin District Mayor; Na Jin-gu, candidate for Jungnang District Mayor; Seo Gang-seok, candidate for Songpa District Mayor; and Park Hee-young, candidate for Yongsan District Mayor, are enthusiastically engaging in ‘Oh Se-hoon marketing.’

Kim Kyung-ho, candidate for Gwangjin District Mayor, was personally recruited by Mayor Oh. Kim, a former administrative examination pass, served as deputy mayor of Gwangjin District, director of welfare, and director of urban transportation, holding key positions in Seoul City. After retiring as the first-grade chief secretary of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, he also served as president of the Seoul Agricultural and Marine Products Corporation (Garak Market), a Seoul city public enterprise, proving his competence. Mayor Oh recruited him as the regional chairman of the People Power Party’s Gwangjin constituency, which is Mayor Oh’s own electoral district.

Afterward, Kim completed the primary election against competing candidates for Gwangjin District Mayor and was selected as the candidate for the June 1 local elections.

Kim appeals to residents, saying, “If I, personally selected by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, become Gwangjin District Mayor, I will become a driving force for Gwangjin’s development, which has been slow so far, as part of a one team with Mayor Oh.”

Na Jin-gu, People Power Party candidate for Jungnang District Mayor, has a special connection as he served as the first deputy mayor during Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s fourth term. Moreover, although he had no intention to run again after serving as Jungnang District Mayor in the seventh term, he decided to run again at Mayor Oh’s earnest request.

Seo Gang-seok, candidate for Songpa District Mayor, also a former administrative examination pass, served as director of finance for Seoul City and retired as a first-grade official. Based on his connection with Mayor Oh during his tenure in Seoul City, he is promoting photos taken with Mayor Oh and showing enthusiasm to lead Songpa’s development.

Park Hee-young, candidate for Yongsan District Mayor, is actively promoting on SNS such as Facebook, expressing ambitions to transform Yongsan into a global city, leveraging the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan, alongside key figures of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration including candidate for Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se.

Along with them, candidates with ties to Mayor Oh such as Kang Maeng-hoon for Seongdong District Mayor, Jeong Tae-geun for Seongbuk District Mayor, and Lee Haeng-ja for Gwanak District Mayor are also actively utilizing ‘Mayor Oh marketing.’

A Seoul city official analyzed, “It seems that due to Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s high popularity in this election, those running for Seoul district mayor are engaging in ‘Mayor Oh one team marketing’ by associating themselves with him.”

Sogang-seok, the People Power Party candidate for Songpa District Mayor (right), and Mayor Oh Se-hoon

A photo featuring Kwon Young-se, Minister of Unification nominee, and Oh Se-hoon, Mayor, was released on the promotional material of Park Hee-young, the People Power Party candidate for Yongsan District Mayor.