Jung Won-oh and Oh Se-hoon Suspend Campaign for Second Day... Focusing All Efforts on Seosomun Accident Response

Jung Won-oh: "I hope citizens can return to their daily lives"


Oh Se-hoon: "I have asked officials to prevent any further accidents"

Jung Wono, Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor, and Oh Sehoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, have suspended their official election campaigns for a second consecutive day following the collapse of the Seosomun overpass.

Jung Wono, Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Oh Sehoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, are conversing at the 46th anniversary Seoul memorial ceremony for the May 18 Democratic Movement held on the 18th at the Seoul City Hall main building. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 27th, a member of Jung's campaign said, "We are temporarily suspending the campaign today as well." On the same day, a member of Oh's campaign also stated, "There are no public events scheduled for Oh today."

After the collapse of the Seosomun overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, the previous day, both candidates canceled their scheduled campaign events and visited the site. Jung said, "I pray for the souls of the three people who lost their lives in the accident. I also wish a quick and full recovery for the three injured. I hope the aftermath of this incident is swiftly addressed so that citizens' daily lives may return to normal." He added, "In this regard, I hope the construction officials and Seoul Metropolitan Government will do their utmost to manage the situation thoroughly."

Oh also made an emergency visit to the site and received a detailed briefing on the accident from the head of Seoul's Disaster and Safety Office. Oh stated, "The most important thing is to prevent any further accidents, so I emphasized this to the construction officials." He continued, "I also asked them to take every precaution to ensure that no similar incidents occur at this site in the future." Additionally, he requested that the city mobilize all available resources to prevent any additional damage.

Jung has previously criticized Oh regarding the missing rebar issue in the GTX-A Samseong Station section, saying, "It is dangerous if the mayor becomes complacent about safety." However, following the recent overpass collapse, Jung refrained from criticizing the incumbent mayor.

The Democratic Party's Central Election Committee has issued nationwide campaign guidelines to each city and provincial party and candidate camp, urging them to consider the current atmosphere of social mourning and public safety in response to the incident. The guidelines include: maintaining a calm campaign tone until rescue operations are complete; avoiding excessive performances or campaign songs and being mindful of all campaign conduct; refraining from provocative or politically charged statements until the situation is resolved; and prioritizing safety and strict discipline during campaign activities.

On this day, the People Power Party's Central Election Committee also held a moment of silence to honor and mourn the victims. People Power Party leader Jang Donghyeok said, "The most important thing is the safety of citizens. We must closely monitor the remaining demolition process. People Power Party will fully cooperate to ensure a prompt response to the accident and support for the victims."

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