Jung Won-oh, Oh Se-hoon in All-Out Push to Win Seoul Votes That Will Sway Public Opinion

Nine days before the June 3rd local elections, on the 25th, Seoul mayoral candidates Jung Won-oh of the Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party engaged in a spirited campaign competition in key districts expected to determine public sentiment. Candidate Jung focused on Yangcheon and Yeongdeungpo districts, often cited as 'barometers' of Seoul's public mood during elections, while Candidate Oh conducted rallies across Gangnam and Gangbuk, reaching out to citizens enjoying outdoor activities on the holiday. Both candidates traded barbs and defenses, intensifying the election fervor.

Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, began his campaign day visiting the Magoknaru Station and Seoul Botanic Park area in Gangseo District, then continued to a department store in Yangcheon District. In the late afternoon, he held a concentrated rally at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo District, an area with high foot traffic. Yangcheon and Yeongdeungpo are evaluated as districts that can gauge the flow of Seoul's public sentiment, with their vote shares in the 2022 Seoul mayoral election closely mirroring the overall election results. At his rally in front of the Hyundai Department Store Mokdong Branch in Yangcheon District, Candidate Jung criticized Oh Se-hoon's 'complacency on safety' by referencing the recent incident of missing rebar at the Samsung Station GTX construction.

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, focused his campaign on expanding contact with citizens engaged in outdoor activities during the holiday. In the morning, Oh announced his 'Seoul Tour-nomics' vision at the entrance of Gwanaksan Mountain hiking trail, proposing plans for tourism content development utilizing Seoul's natural environment and revitalizing the local economy. He then met voters by visiting the entrance of Dobongsan Mountain and the Gyeongchun Line Forest Path in Nowon District. In the afternoon, he sequentially visited Baekhak Market and Jungang Market in Jung District, and Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin District, before moving to Gaepo Market in Gangnam District. For his final campaign event, he visited the Seongsu-dong cafe street area in Seongdong District, considered Candidate Jung's political hometown, to engage with local residents.

The exchanges between the two candidates centered on responsibility for key issues and past actions. Candidate Jung attributed the missing rebar incident at Samsung Station GTX to Oh's 'complacency on safety' and criticized Oh's response. Oh's side dismissed allegations by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Min-kyu that Oh had omitted relevant instructions despite Hyundai Engineering & Construction reporting the rebar omission to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on November 10th of last year, stating he had no record of receiving such a report. Oh questioned Jung's administrative capabilities by bringing up the delayed completion of the Haengdang 7 district redevelopment during Jung's tenure as Seongdong District Mayor. He also attacked Jung's integrity and sense of responsibility by raising suspicions of cronyism in the establishment and operation of 'Seongdong Future Jobs Co., Ltd.' In response, Jung's campaign explained that 'Seongdong Future Jobs Co., Ltd.' was established and operated purely for public interest purposes, with all processes conducted transparently and fairly.

The transparency of urban regeneration projects such as redevelopment and reconstruction, along with public investment for job creation, are likely to be decisive factors for voters' choices.