Oh Se-hoon on Han Dong-hoon Seoul mayor speculation: "He is someone thinking about the presidential election, so it's a big disrespect"

Rumors Emerge Within Ruling Party About Han Dong-hoon Running for Seoul Mayor
Oh Se-hoon: "None of My Aides Made Such Remarks"
On Possibility of Alliance: "Completely Unfounded"

Recently, amid rumors within the ruling party about Han Dong-hoon running for Seoul mayor, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon dismissed the speculation as a "disrespect." In an interview with MBN's 'News Wide' on the 13th, Mayor Oh said, "A few days ago, a panel representing former leader Han Dong-hoon gave an interview claiming that one of our aides suggested the idea of me running for Seoul mayor," adding, "I checked, and none of our aides made such a statement."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Mayor Oh emphasized, "Former leader Han is someone who is thinking about the presidential election, so how could it be such a great disrespect to talk about the Seoul mayor position with him? I firmly instructed our aides not to even mention such things in passing in the future."

Shin Ji-ho, former Vice Head of Strategic Planning for the People Power Party and classified as pro-Han Dong-hoon faction, stated on YTN Radio's 'Shin Yul's News Face-off' on the 11th that the rumors of former leader Han running for Seoul mayor are "completely unfounded, fake news," and added, "People around Mayor Oh Se-hoon spread these stories a lot."

Regarding the possibility of an alliance with former leader Han if an early presidential election is held following President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial, Shin said it was "unfounded," drawing a clear line by stating, "If support bases overlap, there is no alliance." He also mentioned, "Since Han became the leader last summer, I have never had a meal or a cup of tea with him, nor have I ever had a phone call."

When the host asked, assuming an early presidential election scenario, whether there is a possibility of a cooperative relationship with Representative Lee Jun-seok of the Reform New Party, Shin replied, "He is from a different party, and (Representative Lee) has practically already declared his candidacy for the presidential election," adding, "That is a highly disrespectful statement. It is right for him to work hard, and I think he has the capability to do so."

Regarding Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Employment and Labor, who is mentioned as a potential presidential candidate within the ruling party, Shin said, "He is someone I truly respect in my heart," but added, "Since we are not yet in the presidential election phase, it is too early to discuss approval ratings, so I should refrain from commenting as much as possible."

Mayor Oh criticized the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "The Constitutional Court is rushing excessively," and pointed out, "The life of a trial is trust. There must be acceptance, but many citizens may refuse to accept the verdict."

Advocating for a 'local autonomy constitutional amendment,' he said, "The most important thing is to delegate all authority to local governments so they can take responsibility and manage their own resources," adding, "Since we are not a large country like the United States, we cannot adopt a federal system, but since the president's powers are excessive, the core idea is to leave only foreign affairs and security powers to the president and boldly delegate all domestic powers to local governments."

He continued, "If an early presidential election is held, I think there will be a consensus that a constitutional amendment is necessary," and added, "Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, is currently somewhat evasive, but I expect he will eventually organize his position and agree."