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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon selected as People Power Party’s candidate for mayoral election

Published: 18 Apr. 2026, 11:26 Updated: 18 Apr. 2026, 15:46

From left: Rep. Park Soo-min, former lawmaker Yun Hee-suk and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pose for a photo ahead of a debate amongst People Power Party's potential candidates for the Seoul mayor, held on April 10.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been selected as the People Power Party’s candidate for the upcoming Seoul mayoral election.

Park Duk-hyum, head of the party’s nomination management committee, announced at the party headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Saturday morning that Oh had won the primary against Rep. Park Soo-min and former lawmaker Yun Hee-sook.

In the mayoral election, Oh will now face Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor and former head of Seongdong District Office. The race will determine whether Oh secures a third consecutive term and a fifth term overall.

Oh was born in 1961 and began his political career after winning a seat in Seoul’s Gangnam-B constituency in the 16th general election in 2000, as a candidate of the then-Grand National Party.

He abruptly announced his retirement from politics ahead of the 17th general election in 2004. However, he returned two years and four months later to run for Seoul mayor in April 2006, winning the election to become the city’s first mayor in his 40s.

After winning re-election, Oh stepped down in 2011 following a referendum on free school meals, which he had staked his mayoralty on. He then spent roughly a decade out of office.

Oh returned as Seoul mayor after winning a by-election in April 2021. He was re-elected in 2022, becoming the first Seoul mayor to win four terms.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]