Re-elected Seoul mayor steps closer to big dream
Mayor Oh Se-hoon wins another term against DPK’s Song Young-gil
Incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has won another term in the election against Song Younggil of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
With the victory, he is poised to become a potential candidate for the next presidential election. The Seoul mayoral post has long been considered a springboard for the presidency. Former President Lee Myung-bak was mayor of the city before his landslide victory in the 2007 presidential election.
As of 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when 12 percent of votes had been counted, Oh secured 55.2 percent, whereas his rival Song scored 43.3 percent.
The support trend appearing in actual votes counted was in line with the exit poll results that were made public when polling stations closed at 7:30 p.m. when voting for COVID-19 patients and others in self-isolation ended. It projected Oh would comfortably win the election by a double-digit margin. The
exit poll was taken by the Korean Broadcasters’ Association (KBA) in collaboration with the broadcasters KBS, SBS and MBC.
Oh watched the exit poll results on a TV at the Korea Press Center with his campaign workers, and thanked those who supported him.
“I am grateful for citizens of Seoul
who once again rooted for me. Though I feel a bit relieved, I will follow the vote count as exit polls are just exit polls,” Oh said.
Oh, a lawyer-turned-politician, began his political career in 2000 when he was elected as a lawmaker of the Grand National Party, a predecessor of the PPP, representing
Seoul’s Gangnam District B.
His career took off when he became mayor of Seoul in July 2006, staying in office for five years. His major policies during his first and second terms include the Design Seoul project and creative governance in city administration.
But Oh’s second term was cut
short in 2011 when he resigned to fulfill his commitment after losing a referendum on free meals for all students. Oh opposed the free lunch program for all students, instead suggesting free meals for children from low-income families only. The heated pros-and-cons debate over the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s push for free school meals for all students led to the referendum. But the turnout for the referendum reached only 25.7 percent, failing to meet the quorum. This gave the school meals program the green light to go ahead. Oh stepped down to take responsibility for the failure.
After resigning, Oh headed to the U.K. with his family as a fellow at the Graduate School of Social Science and Public Policy at King’s College London. He also worked as a civic adviser for the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), sharing his expertise in Kigali, Rwanda, and Lima, Peru.
In 2016, Oh ran for a National Assembly seat representing Seoul’s Jongno District, a constituency with political significance, but lost to Chung Sye-kyun of the DPK.
Oh once again failed his bid to join the National Assembly in 2020 when he lost to Ko Min-jung of the DPK, an announcer-turned-political rookie who also served as a spokesperson for former President Moon Jae-in.
After losing to Ko, Oh’s political career seemed to go downhill, but he rose up once again when he won the PPP’s primary for the Seoul mayoral by-election last year, beating Na Kyung-won. As a unified candidate from the conservative bloc, Oh won the by-election over Park Young-sun of the DPK, returning as Seoul mayor after a decade.