Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, held his final public meeting before the official campaign kickoff. The meeting, held on the morning of May 19 in Jung-gu, Seoul, featured key figures including Seo Young-kyo, Park Joo-min, Jeon Hyun-hee, and Lee In-young, who launched a coordinated attack on Oh Se-hoon, the candidate from the People Power Party.
During the meeting, Jung stated, "This election must serve as a judgment on Mayor Oh's incompetence and irresponsible administration," emphasizing that "citizen safety is the most important factor that cannot be compromised."
He criticized the city administration for its "safety negligence," pointing to a series of incidents including the Yongsan and Itaewon disasters, flooding in Gangnam, basement accidents, sinkholes, and bus incidents along the Han River. "These are not isolated incidents; if they keep happening, it indicates a structural problem," he said.
Jung highlighted that in the past five years, Seongdong-gu has experienced zero sinkholes, flooding, or major safety accidents, asserting, "I, Jung Won-oh, will prove my commitment to creating a safe Seoul through action, not just words."
Seo Young-kyo raised concerns about the company awarded the Audit Garden contract, linking it to the Unification Church. She stated, "The company 'Ilshin Stone' was awarded the contract to install stone columns, and its founder is related to Moon Sun-myung, the late leader of the Unification Church," questioning the relationship between Oh and Ilshin Stone.
She also noted that despite two bids—one from company A for 2.9 billion won and Ilshin Stone for 3.9 billion won—Ilshin Stone was ultimately selected as the contractor.
Park Joo-min criticized the Audit Garden, calling it a symbol of Oh's disregard for citizens. He pointed out that Oh was not included in the guest list for the Audit Garden completion ceremony and that his impromptu speech turned the taxpayer-funded event into a campaign rally.
Jeon Hyun-hee intensified the criticism regarding the missing rebar in the GTX-A line construction, calling it "incredibly shameless for a mayor." She warned that such safety oversights could lead to major disasters threatening citizens' lives and safety, adding, "Instead of apologizing, Oh has shifted responsibility to the construction company and the railway authority."
Jeon further questioned why the city did not respond swiftly if it was aware of the missing rebar, urging Oh to stop making excuses and to take responsibility for the management failures, delayed responses, and allegations of cover-ups that jeopardize citizen safety.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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