With 1 Year and 9 Months Left in Oh Se-hoon's Term, the Battle for Seoul Mayor Begins?

Democratic Party of Korea Launches “New Seoul Special Committee” to Pursue Victory in the Next Seoul Mayoral Election

With two years remaining until the Seoul mayoral election, a power struggle has already begun between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea.

On September 26, the Democratic Party of Korea officially announced its plan to win the next Seoul mayoral election by launching the Seoul Metropolitan Party’s “New Seoul Special Committee.”

In response, the People Power Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council pushed back, warning the Democratic Party not to even think about obstructing Seoul’s municipal administration.

They further countered that if the Democratic Party intends to criticize Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s reconstruction and redevelopment policies, the abolition of TBS, and the realities of supporting the underprivileged, they should first examine the negative impact of Park Won-soon’s urban regeneration projects on housing stability for Seoul citizens.

The following summarizes the statements from the People Power Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Democratic Party’s position.

On September 27, the People Power Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council issued the following statement regarding the launch of the Democratic Party’s “New Seoul Special Committee.”

Full Statement by Chae Suji, Spokesperson for the People Power Party, Seoul Metropolitan Council

Democratic Party’s New Seoul Special Committee: Do not even attempt to obstruct Seoul’s municipal administration.

On September 26, the Seoul Metropolitan Party of the Democratic Party of Korea announced the launch of the “Special Committee for Preparing a New Seoul” (New Seoul Special Committee). They stated their intention to evaluate Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s administration, bring its issues into public discussion, and present the Democratic Party’s vision and policy alternatives for Seoul.

If this is truly for the lives of Seoul citizens and the city’s development, it is welcome. However, since the main points discussed at the launch event were “recapturing Seoul” and “winning the local elections in two years,” it seems to be an ambitious organization formed for the upcoming elections.

The topics the New Seoul Special Committee plans to address include reconstruction and redevelopment policies, the abolition of TBS, and the realities of supporting the underprivileged. However, what stands out is their assessment of current reconstruction and redevelopment policies as wasteful spending.

This inevitably brings to mind the negative impact and massive budget waste caused by Park Won-soon’s urban regeneration projects on housing stability for Seoul citizens.

To give just one example, in the Changsin and Sungin areas of Jongno-gu, which were Park Won-soon’s first urban regeneration sites, 87.5 billion won was spent, but nothing was achieved except for spending it all on labor costs-a so-called “total failure.” Residents there are now desperately hoping for redevelopment under Oh Se-hoon’s policies.

The failure of Park Won-soon’s urban regeneration projects, which amounted to little more than painting murals on walls, severely deteriorated Seoul’s residential environment. Combined with the housing policies of the Moon Jae-in administration, housing prices in Seoul skyrocketed. Wasn’t the burden of this damage ultimately shifted onto ordinary citizens? The shadow of policy failures over the past ten years under Mayor Park Won-soon is large, and recovery will inevitably take time.

Therefore, we urge the New Seoul Special Committee to conduct a sober self-assessment and present genuine alternatives for citizens. If the vision for a “new Seoul” is not simply “a Seoul governed by the Democratic Party,” then do not even think about obstructing Seoul’s municipal administration from the outset.

Democratic Party Seoul Metropolitan Party Launches “New Seoul Special Committee” for 2026 Local Election Victory

Announces plans to evaluate the administration, bring issues into public discussion, and present visions and alternatives to win the 2026 local elections

Jang Kyungtae, Chair of the Seoul Metropolitan Party: “The committee’s role is to identify and resolve key issues early, achieving policy victories.”

Park Jumin, Committee Chair: “We will present research findings on Mayor Oh’s administration and its problems, and propose alternatives.”

The “Special Committee for Preparing a New Seoul” (hereafter New Seoul Special Committee), under the Democratic Party of Korea’s Seoul Metropolitan Party and chaired by Park Jumin, held its inauguration ceremony on September 26.

At the launch event, the New Seoul Special Committee announced its plan to evaluate Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s administration from multiple angles, bring various issues into public discussion, and present the Democratic Party’s vision and policy alternatives for Seoul, all aimed at winning the 2026 local elections.

The committee is chaired by Park Jumin, National Assembly member for Eunpyeong-gap, and operated by Kim Namgeun, National Assembly member for Seongbuk-eul, as secretary. By field, Kang Sunwoo (health and welfare), Ko Minjung (education), Chae Hyunil (public administration and security), Oh Gihyung (planning and finance), Kang Yujeong (culture and sports), Kim Donga (industry and resources), and Park Hongbae (environment and labor) will each take responsibility. In addition, National Assembly members from the existing Seoul Metropolitan Party’s Seoul Municipal Policy Research Group will participate.

The New Seoul Special Committee will also be organized and operated in conjunction with the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Participants include Seong Heumje, Seoul Metropolitan Council member (floor leader); Kim Sungjun (chief of operations); Lee Sanghun (chief of policy); Lee Byeongdo and Oh Geumran (health and welfare); Kang Donggil and Seo Junho (land and urban development); Jeon Byeongju (education); Park Subin (public administration and security); Lee Minok (planning and finance); Kim Kyung (culture and sports); Kim Inje (industry and resources); and Im Mangyun (environment and labor).

At the launch event, Jang Kyungtae, Chair of the Democratic Party Seoul Metropolitan Party (re-elected), stated, “Victory in the Seoul local elections in two years is extremely important for the future of both the Democratic Party and South Korea,” and added, “The role and expectation for the New Seoul Special Committee is to identify and resolve key issues-such as jobs, housing, and education-that are directly connected to the lives of Seoul citizens, and to achieve policy victories.”

Park Jumin, National Assembly member for Eunpyeong-gap (three-term) and chair of the New Seoul Special Committee, said, “After the general election, we conducted research on the status and problems of Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s administration with Seoul-area lawmakers, and found that a collaborative system with the Seoul Metropolitan Council and policy experts was needed, which led to the formation of this committee.” He continued, “In addition to today’s announcement regarding issues with reconstruction and redevelopment policies, we will select and study five additional budget-wasting projects, present our findings one by one, and continuously propose alternatives.” The committee also plans to examine issues such as the abolition of the Seoul Social Service Agency, the unplanned abolition of TBS, and the realities of the “Walking with the Underprivileged” initiative.

Seong Heumje, floor leader of the Democratic Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council (re-elected), said, “Unlike the National Assembly, the Democratic Party is a minority in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, so cooperation with the central party and the National Assembly is crucial. Although there have been no opportunities for communication with Seoul-area lawmakers, we will work together through this committee to solve various issues directly affecting citizens.”