Oh Se-hoon, Lee Jae-myung Pressure... "Let's Create a National Constitutional Reform Coalition Beyond Party Lines"

Mayor Oh Attends National Assembly Constitutional Reform Debate
"Need for a System to Resolve Ruling and Opposition Party Conflicts in Advance"
On Myung Tae-kyun Allegations: "Will Actively Cooperate with Investigation"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon proposed a 'National Constitutional Reform Coalition' that encompasses both ruling and opposition parties. This is interpreted as a move to pressure Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has shown a reserved stance on constitutional reform.

On the 6th, Mayor Oh attended the 'Decentralized Power Structure Constitutional Reform Grand Debate' held at the National Assembly Library in Yeouido, Seoul, and stated, "Leader Lee Jae-myung has not shown much interest in promoting constitutional reform, but if we could create something like a 'National Constitutional Reform Coalition' that transcends party lines, wouldn't that be a good opportunity to advance meaningful constitutional reform?"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is attending the 'Decentralized Power Structure Constitutional Amendment Grand Debate' held at the National Assembly Library on the 6th. 2025.3.6 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

At a meeting with reporters, he explained the necessity of constitutional reform by saying, "There has been an outburst of constitutional reform arguments suggesting that if there had been a system to resolve conflicts of authority between ruling and opposition parties lexically and institutionally, such national confusion could have been avoided."

He also presented the possibility of balanced regional development through constitutional reform. Mayor Oh said, "Economic growth has stagnated at $36,000 for 11 years. To address this, we need to establish four ultra-wide economic zones like Singapore, excluding the metropolitan area," adding, "We must break away from the current structure where the central government controls all economic policies and establish an institutional foundation through constitutional reform that allows local governments to proactively formulate and implement policies."

Questions also arose regarding allegations surrounding political broker Myung Tae-kyun. In response to concerns that the Myung Tae-kyun recordings might hinder Mayor Oh's presidential ambitions amid speculation of an early presidential election, Mayor Oh said, "The prosecution has summoned and is investigating Mr. Myung and Ms. Kang Hye-kyung over several days. Although late, this is truly a welcome development," adding, "I intend to actively cooperate with any investigation in any form, and the sooner the truth is revealed, the more it will help clarify public suspicions."