Yoon Heesook Criticizes Oh Sehoon: "Fashion Politics Have Made Seoul Sick... Lacks Real Estate Insight"

Yoon Announces Seoul Mayoral Bid at National Assembly
Emphasizes 'Real Estate' as Key Difference from Mayor Oh
"Urges Party Leadership to Make a Decisive Move Before Local Elections"

Yoon Heesook, former member of the People Power Party, declared her candidacy for Seoul mayor on March 4, sharpening her criticism of Mayor Oh Sehoon by labeling his approach as “fashion politics.” She highlighted real estate as a key point of distinction between herself and Mayor Oh, criticizing his real estate policy decisions.

After announcing her candidacy at the National Assembly Communication Office that day, Yoon responded to reporters’ questions about whom she meant by “fashion politics” in her declaration. She said, “It refers to politics that prioritize appearance over bread-and-butter issues, and place excessive importance on landmarks,” indirectly referencing Mayor Oh. In her declaration, she stated, “Fashion politics obsessed with landmarks have made Seoul sick over the past 20 years.”

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook is holding a press conference to announce her candidacy for Seoul mayor at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News

Yoon also explained, “Although Mayor Oh claims to value private sector supply, I have rarely seen him voice his opinions to the central government or criticize central government policy in order to advance stalled redevelopment and reconstruction projects.” She added, “This may be due to his lack of philosophy or insight into the real estate market,” and asserted, “This will affect his competitiveness in the main election.” She also remarked that the “Han River Bus” is an example of fashion politics.

When asked to further distinguish herself from Mayor Oh, Yoon once again raised the issue of real estate. She commented, “Mayor Oh should have put his utmost effort into eliminating the supply cliff, but I have not felt that he is fully committed to addressing this issue.” She continued, “I believe citizens are judging how passionately their leaders are working to urgently solve Seoul’s problems,” and added, “This is where I see a clear distinction.”

Regarding polling results showing that Jeong Wonoh, the head of Seongdong District and the ruling party’s Seoul mayoral candidate, is currently leading, Yoon said, “The gap is widening because the People Power Party is failing to earn the public’s trust and support.” She also pointed out, “Fatigue with the current mayor is likely an important factor.” She referred to District Head Jeong as “the candidate handpicked by President Lee Jaemyung,” and criticized, “It is essentially the same as President Lee declaring he will double as Seoul mayor.”

On the party leadership’s continued adherence to the “Yoon Again” line, Yoon stressed, “It is time for the leadership to make a decisive decision,” and added, “In fact, that time has already passed.” She strongly urged, “The leadership must make a decision before the local elections.” In her candidacy declaration, she expressed concern that “If the leadership continues to hesitate as it is now, the final decision will ultimately be made by the people at the judgment stand of the local elections.”

During her candidacy announcement, Yoon presented pledges including ▲ a significant expansion of housing supply ▲ fostering Chang-dong as a hub for the K-culture industry ▲ and reorganizing public transportation. Regarding real estate, she stated, “What is needed now is not regulation, but supply,” and introduced her “Three-Point Real Estate All-Out Policy” to greatly revitalize redevelopment projects. She pledged to raise the floor area ratio to the highest possible level and, in consultation with the central government, introduce a “Type 4 General Residential Zone with a 500% floor area ratio.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.