Yoo Hee-sook pushes reform and unity in Seoul mayor race against Oh Se-hoon
A South Korean opposition candidate for Seoul mayor, Yoo Hee-sook of the People Power Party, criticized incumbent Oh Se-hoon on the campaign trail on the 13th, during an interview at her Yeouido campaign headquarters in Seoul. She said it was not the moment to bargain over party leadership terms while seeking a ballot bid.
Yoo referenced a recent social media post in which she quoted or echoed the rhetoric of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, arguing that Oh had described himself as the “general of the metropolitan election” but would not file his candidacy unless he received the party’s proposed “Innovative Campaign Committee.” She framed this as a delay tactic that undercuts the party’s readiness to contest the race.
She noted that Oh had said a resolution announced on the 9th was insufficient and demanded follow-up action, yet she argued that, on the day the resolution was released, he had already proclaimed that a platform for the election had been prepared. She asked rhetorically who would gain strength from a banner he supposedly carries if the general does not begin his role.
In Yoo’s view, the current state of the party’s reform effort is imperfect but represents a starting point. She contended that the candidates’ unity and their alignment with supporters could drive meaningful renewal within the party and, by extension, influence policy direction in Seoul.
She insisted that Seoul is crucial to the party’s national prospects, describing the city as a “fleet of 12 ships” for the People Power Party. This metaphor underscored Seoul’s central role as a political and economic hub whose leadership can impact national sentiment, investment, and governance.
The candidate also warned that the ruling coalition under Lee Jae-myung’s leadership poses national risks, arguing that past missteps by the party have made Seoul acutely sensitive to changes in national power. She urged the party’s contenders to rally, push for personnel cleansing, and pursue internal reforms to strengthen the opposition’s stance against the current government.
Finally, Yoo urged Oh Se-hoon to step back from conditional posturing and join with other candidates to confront the Lee Jae-myung administration. She argued that a united front among primary contenders would better advance the party’s reform agenda and, she implied, safeguard Seoul’s interests amid national political tensions.
Why this matters beyond Korea: Seoul’s mayor oversees policies that affect Korea’s tech economy, housing affordability, urban infrastructure, and smart-city initiatives—areas closely watched by U.S. investors and technology firms with extensive ties to South Korea. Political stability in Seoul can influence market sentiment, supply chains, and investment in sectors such as semiconductors, consumer electronics, and fintech, where Korean firms are global players. Additionally, Seoul’s stance on innovation, governance reforms, and regional security posture can reverberate through U.S.-South Korea policy discussions, alliance signaling, and joint responses to regional security challenges. For U.S. readers, the contest highlights how domestic political dynamics in a leading Asian economy can shape regulatory climates, business confidence, and cross-border collaboration in technology and defense. Background: Oh Se-hoon is the incumbent mayor of Seoul from the conservative People Power Party; Yoo Hee-sook is a primary challenger in the same party. The party’s leadership, including figure Jang Dong-hyuk, has been pushing for reform through an “Innovative Campaign Committee,” while the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung leads the national government in a separate political dynamic that Seoul leaders frequently frame as a test of national direction.