Oh Se-hoon: "Vice Minister Park Min-su Should Reflect on His Position Himself"

"Medical School Quotas Cannot Be Reconsidered in 2025... Must Be Reconsidered in 2026"
Same Approval Rating as Han Dong-hoon in Poll... "Do Not Think It Is Meaningful"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon expressed that increasing the number of medical school admissions would be difficult in 2025 but needs to be reconsidered in 2026. In particular, he stated that Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, should contemplate his own position to break the current deadlock.

Mayor Oh appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the morning of the 9th and said, "I hope that medical organizations participate in the ruling and opposition party talks to open the path for discussion."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the Korean Medical Association's demand to cancel the increase in medical school admissions until 2026, he expressed a cautious stance, saying that since applications for the 2025 academic year have already started, any other decision could cause confusion in the admissions process. However, when asked if he agrees to reconsider the increase plan for the 2026 academic year, he replied, "Of course."

On the demands from political circles and the Korean Medical Association to dismiss the Minister and Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, he opposed, saying, "There is an old saying that you shouldn't change horses in midstream." However, he added, "To somehow involve the Korean Medical Association in the ruling and opposition party talks, flexibility must be shown," and mentioned, "For that, it might help the resolution of the situation if the Vice Minister himself contemplates his position."

Regarding the 'revival of district party offices' ignited by the meeting between Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, and Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, he criticized it as "regressive." District party offices are local subordinate organizations of the central party that have offices centered around regional chairpersons and can receive donations. Mayor Oh led the abolition of district party offices through the so-called 'Oh Se-hoon Law' for political reform during his time as a member of the National Assembly, and the law was passed in 2004, abolishing district party offices. He pointed out, "It is extremely rare worldwide to have a system where even non-incumbent district party chairpersons can receive and use donations. It is clearly a move that goes against public sentiment."

Regarding a recent poll showing that he and Han Dong-hoon recorded the same approval rating in a hypothetical one-on-one presidential race against Lee Jae-myung, he dismissed it as something to be taken lightly without special significance. Mayor Oh said, "Polls conducted more than two years before the presidential election inevitably correlate with media exposure frequency. Various polls are consumed for commercial purposes, but I don't think they hold much meaning."