Oh Se-hoon: "Key to Local Election Victory? Overwhelming Support in Northern Seoul and University Districts"

100 Days Since the Launch of the 9th Popularly Elected Administration
"Key to Local Election Victory Was 'Walking with the Vulnerable'"
Gangbuk and Southwestern Development Projects Proved Effective

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon assessed the reasons behind his recent local election victory and whether citizens’ demands have been reflected by saying, “Politics is about responding to the demands of the public,” and evaluated, “The key to victory was standing with the underprivileged.”

During a press conference marking the 100th day of the 9th popularly-elected Seoul municipal government, held at Seoul City Hall on the 7th, Mayor Oh said, “There were many who were skeptical when I advocated for ‘standing with the underprivileged,’ but after reviewing the vote counts, it was statistically confirmed as a decisive factor in the victory.”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at a press conference held at Seoul City Hall marking his 100th day in office on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Mayor Oh particularly highlighted the expansion of support in university districts and areas densely populated with single-person and young households. He explained, “Areas such as Sillim-dong in Gwanak-gu and Hoegi-dong—districts around universities, dormitories, boarding houses, and neighborhoods near jjokbangchon—were places where I did not receive many votes in the past, but this time I received an overwhelming number of votes there.”

He added, “Citizens are critically watching how well the person they chose keeps campaign pledges and how faithfully promises made to their neighborhoods are being fulfilled.”

He also countered claims that concentrated support from the Gangnam area was the main reason for this victory. Mayor Oh emphasized, “I received far more votes in northern Seoul compared to previous elections,” and added, “By once again championing the ‘Golden Age of Northern Seoul’ and implementing the Great Southwestern Renovation Project, I was able to secure the necessary conditions for victory by obtaining a high average vote even in areas outside of Gangnam.”

Regarding the vision and policy direction of the 9th term, Mayor Oh put forward the concept of a “special city for quality of life” as the core. He stated, “It’s a vision that reflects citizens’ needs,” adding, “There has been a societal call to care for daily life and enhance the quality of life and happiness.” To this end, he explained that the G3 Committee was established and 100 top policy initiatives have been prepared.

Mayor Oh said, “We will implement policies to enhance the city’s competitiveness and reinvigorate the economy, boost the nighttime economy in order to strengthen the financial well-being of the self-employed, and promote policies that create more leisure time.”

He reiterated, “We aim to create a virtuous economic ecosystem where both economic growth and improvements in citizens’ quality of life can win together. This will be Seoul’s goal for the next four years, and the 100 initiatives serve as the policy tools to achieve this direction.”

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