People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, the incumbent mayor, on Thursday urged voters to back him, saying it was important to “protect Seoul” to prevent what he called the possibility of “soft dictatorship” under the Lee Jae-myung government.
In a TV Chosun YouTube interview that morning, Oh said that if the ruling party won a landslide in the local elections, it would become “like a runaway locomotive with no brakes.”
Oh also warned that if the Democratic Party’s Seoul mayoral nominee, Jeong Won-oh, wins, Seoul’s economy and residents’ quality of life would decline. “I’m seeking a fifth term, and if I don’t win this time, Seoul’s upward international rankings and evaluations will be completely reversed,” Oh said, adding that he was running with a determination to hold the city.
Oh cited an increase in Seoul’s debt during the tenure of former Mayor Park Won-soon, saying it rose from 3 trillion won to 10 trillion won, and argued the city’s finances would weaken again.
He claimed that civic group figures who entered City Hall under Park funneled money to organizations they had belonged to, contributing to rising debt. Oh said many of those people are now positioned in Jeong’s campaign, and warned that a Jeong victory would recreate the pattern as “Park Won-soon Season 2.”
Responding to Jeong’s criticism on a TV program the previous day that labeled Oh an “enlightenment leader” and “Yoon Suk Yeol Season 2,” Oh said, “I think he’s been a bit rattled, in today’s terms, because I defined him as Park Won-soon Season 2.”
On the controversy over abolishing the long-term holding special deduction, Oh pressed Jeong to state a clear position after Jeong said it was undesirable to “stoke conflict and increase public anxiety.”
“If Seoul apartments lose the long-term holding special deduction, people can lose hundreds of millions of won in taxes alone,” Oh said. “A mayoral candidate should clearly say whether they support or oppose such a serious issue.” Oh added that some view Jeong as likely to become “Lee Jae-myung’s yes-man,” and said Jeong’s response showed he could not escape that assessment.
Oh also called on People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk to show restraint and make a decision. “Candidates working in the field believe it helps if Chairman Jang is less visible,” Oh said. “With the lowest approval ratings since the party’s founding, I think the time has come for restraint or a decision as leader.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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