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PPP's Oh Se-hoon registers as candidates heat up Seoul mayoral race

Published: 27 Apr. 2026, 19:53

Seoul mayor candidates Chong Won-o of the Democratic Party, left, and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party [NEWS1]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the opposition People Power Party’s (PPP) candidate for the Seoul mayoral election, officially registered as a prospective candidate for the June 3 local elections on Monday, formally kicking off the campaign. Oh now has just a little over a month to turn the tide as rival Chong Won-o from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) strives to continue riding the winning momentum he has enjoyed by jumping into the race earlier.

“Over the past five years, Seoul has laid the groundwork for many changes,” said Oh after registering as a preliminary candidate on Monday. “While the DP is busy trying to frame me as incompetent, I will bring these hard-won changes to a decisive completion,”

“I will make the Lee Jae-myung administration, which has begun to run amok, feel a chill as it watches the choice Seoul’s citizens make,” he added.

Oh also appeared to take aim at the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of the DP, saying, “I will ensure Seoul does not slip back into decline like the lost decade.”

As is common in Korean politics, both sides are focusing on negative campaigning — highlighting and attacking each other’s weaknesses in an effort to gain the upper hand. While Chong is framing the race as a judgment on Oh’s tenure as Seoul mayor, Oh is countering by scrutinizing controversies surrounding Chong.

Chong is fronting a narrative calling for "judgment" on Oh and even set up a campaign unit with a name that translates to “Oh Se-hoon 10-Year Accountability Headquarters."

The headquarters has framed Oh’s policies, including the Hangang Bus ferry service, as “three absences — incompetence, irresponsibility and lack of vision — and five abandonments — responsibility, procedure, citizens, the future and safety" and is scrutinizing them. Chong’s camp is also raising an issue with Oh being sent to trial over allegations of paying for public opinion polls.

“We will objectively evaluate the city administration to uncover the truth behind ‘Oh-style governance,’” said Lee Hae-sik, head of Chong’s campaign committee, on Monday.

Oh, in response, has set up a fact-finding committee on Chong’s corruption. The committee plans to scrutinize various controversies surrounding Chong’s tenure as the chief of Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, from 2014 to 2026, including the so-called Cancun trip controversy and alleged ties with local media outlets.

PPP Rep. Kim Jae-sub, who has raised suspicions about Chong’s alleged farmland speculation, is set to chair the committee.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s candidate, right, and Democratic Party Seoul mayor candidate Chong Won-o shake hands at an event held in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on April 22. [YONHAP]

Chong is accused of taking an official business trip to Cancun, a resort destination in Mexico, with a female civil servant, while related documents listed the accompanying staff member as male rather than female.

“Although Chong has promoted the slogan ‘a Seoul worth taxpayers’ money,’ we will examine numerous actions that contradict that claim,” said Rep. Kim.

Negative attacks over real estate issues are also intensifying.

Oh has been pressuring Chong over the proposed abolition of the long-term holding tax deduction. The deduction allows homeowners with a single property valued above 1.2 billion won ($815,500) who have held and lived in it for more than three years to deduct between 20 percent and 80 percent of capital gains, depending on the holding period.

Oh described the move as “state violence that fundamentally shakes the lives of ordinary families” and called on Chong to clarify his stance in a Facebook post on Saturday.

When Chong responded vaguely, saying he hoped for policy competition for citizens, Oh criticized him in a media interview on Sunday, saying that “such an attitude is likely to persist throughout his administration.”

Seoul mayor candidates Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party, right, and the Democratic Party's Chong Won-o exchange greetings after paying respects at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 1. [YONHAP]

Clashes have also extended to redevelopment and reconstruction policies.

Oh noted that Chong’s pledge for faster and safer redevelopment and reconstruction was “hard to believe” in a media interview on Sunday. In response, Chong’s spokesperson Park Kyung-mee pointed out that Oh was “the very person who caused chaos” in a statement on Monday, referring to the controversy over his reversal on lifting land transaction permit zones.

Oh has pledged to supply 310,000 housing units by 2031 through redevelopment and other projects, while Chong has proposed introducing a redevelopment manager system. Chong’s proposal is to assign government officials as project managers to support every stage of redevelopment and reconstruction projects, from planning through completion.

As of Monday, Chong holds a stronger hand over Oh.

A total of 37.2 percent among 1,006 respondents aged 18 and older using an automated response system supported PPP in Seoul, according to a Realmeter poll commissioned by EKN newspaper conducted from Thursday to Friday and released Monday. This closely trails the DP at 40.9 percent within the margin of error.

Among 1,001 Seoul residents aged 18 and older, Chong garnered 45.6 percent support, leading Oh, who has earned 35.4 percent, by about 10 percentage points, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute for CBS from April Wednesday to Thursday using an automated response system. The results were released on Friday.

Meanwhile, the PPP confirmed Kim Young-hwan as its candidate for North Chungcheong governor on the same day. Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon and South Gyeongsang Governor Park Wan-soo also registered as preliminary candidates, officially launching their campaigns.

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 PARK JUN-KYU, KANG BO-HYUN [[email protected]]