Oh Se-hoon Returns to Work Normally After Announcing Non-Candidacy... Political Appointees Also Return

"Returned to Work as Usual... Attending City Council Opening Ceremony"
All Appointees, Including Deputy Mayor Kim Byung-min and Special Advisor Lee Jong-hyun, Also Return

Last weekend, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who declared he would not run in the presidential election, returned to work on the 14th and resumed city administration duties. All political appointees who had submitted their resignations following Mayor Oh's decision also returned.

Shin Seon-jong, spokesperson for Seoul City, said at the regular morning briefing, "Mayor Oh has reported to work as usual at City Hall and is currently working," adding, "He also held the morning meeting as usual."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is entering the press conference room on the 12th at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, to announce his withdrawal from the presidential race. Mayor Oh stated, "I will serve as a primer through loyal service to normalize the abnormal situation." Photo by Yonhap News

Originally, Mayor Oh planned to take leave after announcing his presidential candidacy on the 13th and participate in the People Power Party's primary election. However, on the 12th, a day before the kickoff event, he held an emergency press conference and declared he would not run, stating, "To normalize the abnormal situation, I will serve as a white-clad soldier and play the role of a primer."

This decision came after continued reflection following the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-youl. Mayor Oh said, "With a heavy stone on my chest, I spent several sleepless nights agonizing over this decision," and added, "I kept asking myself whether now was truly the time to step down from the mayoral position mid-term while keeping that possibility open." He further explained, "I also delayed my candidacy compared to other candidates because I was concerned about how the public would perceive everyone rushing to become presidential candidates."

Mayor Oh will attend the opening ceremony of the 330th extraordinary session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 15th. His attendance at the city council's administrative inquiries scheduled from the 16th to the 18th is still under discussion.

It has been confirmed that all political appointees of Seoul City, including Kim Byung-min, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs; Lee Jong-hyun, Special Advisor for Public Communication; Park Chan-gu, Political Special Advisor; and Lee Ji-hyun, Special Advisor for Vision and Strategy, who had submitted their resignations, have all returned. Spokesperson Shin stated, "Since the political appointees were still undergoing administrative procedures, their resignations had not been accepted," and added, "Those who expressed their intention to resign were ordered to return over the weekend."