Oh Sehoon: "Moderates Do Not Like the People Power Party's Line... We Must Quickly 'Cut Ties with Yoon'"

Urging a "shift in party line"... "All the basic local government heads look pale with concern"

Oh Sehoon, Mayor of Seoul, who recently called for the resignation of Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, reiterated that the party must change its line for the upcoming local elections and quickly undergo a so-called 'cutting ties with Yoon'.

Oh Sehoon, Mayor of Seoul, explained the direction of municipal administration for 2026 and other related matters in opening remarks at the press corps' New Year meeting held at Seoul City Hall on the 10th. Yonhap News

In an interview on MBN's "News Wide" on the afternoon of the 14th, Mayor Oh was asked by the host why he had urged Jang to step down and pointed out, "Around our party leader, there are still people who made remarks that sounded like they were defending martial law."

He added, "As long as such people remain in place, and as long as the party line feels close to 'Yoon Again', I think this election will be extremely difficult."

He went on, "The so?called moderates or swing voters, who usually do not get deeply involved in politics, do not particularly like our party's current line. In particular, if we want to win in the greater Seoul metropolitan area, I believe we must quickly shift to a line that the public can agree with, in other words, a line that can win over the moderates, who are the sea of public sentiment."

He continued, "That shift in line is reflected in the people surrounding the party leader," adding, "That is why I am asking for a swift 'cutting ties with Yoon'."

Asked about the burden of confronting the party leader ahead of nominations for the local elections, Mayor Oh responded, "When you speak uncomfortable truths, you naturally become disliked, so of course I worry about that."

He added, "If it were just me, it would be fine, but right now all the basic local government heads in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province look pale with concern. There are thousands of people who earnestly hope the party will quickly shift to a line that helps in the local elections."

He further stressed, "I would like the party leadership to take seriously how desperately I am speaking out, even at the risk of being misunderstood as siding with former leader Han Donghoon, and to reflect deeply on it."

In the interview, Mayor Oh also reaffirmed his existing positions on issues such as a possible fifth term bid for Seoul mayor, the disciplinary action against Assemblywoman Bae Hyunjin, and his differences with Jung Wonoh, head of Seongdong District Office, over the development of the Sampyo Remicon site.

Having effectively formalized his candidacy by declaring that he would "protect the Seoul Metropolitan Government," Mayor Oh, speaking about his resolve in seeking a fifth term, pointed out, "When I returned to Seoul City Hall, I found that over the four years of the previous mayor's term, 1 trillion 22.2 billion won had been channeled to left?wing civic groups under the pretext of working together with government?affiliated organizations and civil society."

He went on, "It has not been long since we corrected the practice of hiring dozens of people from civic groups, which was not just a matter of tax money leaking away," and expressed concern, saying, "If anyone from the Democratic Party becomes mayor, all of that will be restored."

Regarding the disciplinary action against Assemblywoman Bae, he said, "We should be embracing everyone and fighting the election together, so this is very regrettable," adding, "Expelling someone elected through an election runs counter to the principles of intra?party democracy and will fuel other conflicts."

On the development of the Sampyo Remicon site, he said, "From our perspective, if the Seoul Metropolitan Government created the stage, then District Head Jung Wonoh danced splendidly on it. But in the book he wrote, there was not a single word about the Seoul Metropolitan Government. That is what I found disappointing," once again voicing his regret.

Mayor Oh then said, in connection with his own recently published book, "It covers both what the Seoul Metropolitan Government has done and what the district offices have done."

In addition, Mayor Oh explained the preparations for BTS's performance at Gwanghwamun Square, saying, "We convened all the relevant departments for an emergency preparation meeting last week, and I am receiving direct reports once or twice a week."

He added, "It seems many BTS fans from overseas will come. If they come in the season when the trees are thick with leaves, Seoul's image would be conveyed even more positively. Although March 21, the scheduled performance date, is not yet the time when flowers bloom, we are making various preparations so that they can return home with a good impression."