Oh Sehoon Criticizes People Power Party's Election Complaint: "Shaky Leadership... Politically Motivated Exploitation"

Oh Releases Video Statement: "Intentions Are Not Pure"

"Politically Exploiting Desire for Suffrage Is Inappropriate"

"Party Leadership Must Stop Sloganeering to Keep Their Seats"

Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon has publicly criticized the leadership of the People Power Party, including party leader Jang Donghyuk, over the ballot shortage incident. Mayor Oh described the party leadership's actions as "slogans to keep their positions."

On June 16, Mayor Oh released a video statement regarding the People Power Party's "election complaint." In the video, Mayor Oh said, "Anyone in the public watching this would suspect that the intentions are not pure," adding, "Many people believe this is a clear case of politically motivated exploitation, driven by shaky leadership and weak standing within the party."

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He continued, "On such a critical matter, the party should first gather consensus through a general meeting of lawmakers, but the leadership made a unilateral decision." He added, "The floor leader is now expressing a different opinion. If even within the leadership there is no unified stance, then the decision-making process itself is problematic." He emphasized, "Politically exploiting the desire of young people and many citizens for guaranteed suffrage and a fair election is not appropriate."

Mayor Oh also took a stance against the party leadership on Facebook. In a post titled "The Party Leadership Must Stop Sloganeering to Keep Their Seats and Listen to the Stern Voices of the People" posted earlier that morning, he wrote, "What the party must do now is conduct a thorough investigation, punish those responsible, and fundamentally reform the electoral system." He continued, "Yet, leader Jang Donghyuk is pushing the entire party into unproductive calls for a re-election."

He stated, "The pure aspirations of young people in their 20s and 30s who have taken to the streets to restore democracy should not be used as fuel for the political survival of certain politicians. These young people did not come out into the square to become someone else's political shield." He added, "I hope the upcoming general meeting of lawmakers will serve as an opportunity to show the right direction for the People Power Party. Demonstrating the competence of a responsible ruling party, rather than the slogans of a particular individual, is the only way to properly respond to the public's expectations, as reflected in party approval ratings."

Previously, the People Power Party convened an emergency Supreme Council meeting the previous day at the request of leader Jang Donghyuk in response to the ballot shortage incident. The party decided to file election complaints in six regions where ballot shortages occurred: Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Ulsan, Busan, and Jeonnam-Gwangju. After the meeting, Jang posted on Facebook, writing, "The goal is clear: a nationwide re-election. The complaint is only the beginning."

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