Oh Sehoon: "PPP Must Reflect on Martial Law and 'Jeol-yun'... Highly Values Han Donghoon's Apology"

Interview on Channel A's "Political Signal" on the 22nd
On former Prime Minister Han's verdict: "Respect for the court's decision"
On the bus strike: "City buses must be designated as essential public service workplaces"
Again urges, "National Heritage Administration must participate in actual measurement"

Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon urged the People Power Party, stating, "The current leadership must deeply reflect on the past mistakes of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's emergency martial law, known as 'Jeol-yun,' and make this reflection the foundation for all political actions moving forward."

In an interview on Channel A's "Political Signal" on the morning of January 22, Mayor Oh commented on the first trial verdict of former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, saying, "The court's decision must be respected. Isn't it the case that our party now fully acknowledges that the martial law was wrong?"

Yonhap News Agency

Mayor Oh continued, "In that sense, Representative Jang Donghyuk's hunger strike should serve as a turning point. Once the hunger strike is concluded, we must make a fresh start, thoroughly reassessing and resetting everything from the previous stance."

Regarding his visit to the site of Representative Jang's hunger strike, he explained, "I told him that it would be better not to continue a hunger strike that could harm his health." He added, "I also told Representative Jang that it would be good if this could become an opportunity for the conservative bloc to grow further. With the local elections approaching, it is important to win the public's support. I advised him to move away from a path that excessively caters to hardline supporters and instead reach out to the broader, more moderate public."

Concerning former Representative Han Donghoon's apology over the 'party member bulletin board controversy,' Mayor Oh said, "I highly appreciate that he made the difficult decision to issue an apologetic remark." He continued, "However, both sides must take a more forward-looking attitude to create an opportunity for party unity."

Mayor Oh stated, "Just as I mentioned that Representative Jang's focus on hardline supporters needs to be revised, the same applies to former Representative Han. Even if it was his family members who acted, the responsibility is significant. In this regard, I urge him to sincerely reflect and continue efforts to lay the groundwork for reconciliation."

There was also a Q&A session regarding recent issues faced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Mayor Oh commented on the longest-running city bus strike, saying, "The solution lies not in reforming the quasi-public operation system, but in designating city buses as essential public service workplaces. Subways are designated as essential public service workplaces, so not everyone can participate in a strike, but buses are not, which allows all workers to strike at once."

He continued, "Because of this structure, management's bargaining power inevitably weakens. We have requested the Ministry of Employment and Labor to amend the Trade Union Act to designate city buses as essential public service workplaces, but they have not responded."

Regarding the controversy that the redevelopment of Sewoon District 4, promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, harms the view from Jongmyo Shrine, Mayor Oh pointed out, "The National Heritage Administration refuses to participate in an actual measurement." He criticized, "The view simulation presented by the National Heritage Administration has been proven exaggerated by Seoul City, which floated an advertising balloon at the same height as the planned building, but they refuse to acknowledge this and only insist on an impact assessment by UNESCO."

He added, "The advertising balloon is not a simulation, but an actual measurement. It has been proven that the National Heritage Administration lied. Once again, I urge the head of the National Heritage Administration to participate in an actual measurement."