Jang Donghyuk: "People Power Party and Seoul Are One Team" ... Oh Sehun: "Set This 'Fiscally Miserly' Administration Straight"

People Power Party-Seoul Budget Policy Meeting
Oh Sehun Urges Caution on Han Dong-hoon's Return to the Party

The People Power Party and the Seoul Metropolitan Government jointly criticized the government's expansionary fiscal policy and the Future Response Fund, and agreed to work together to secure more national funding and improve the fiscal system. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok pledged active support, saying, "The People Power Party and Seoul are one team." Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized the Lee Jae-myung administration as a "Nolbu fiscal regime" and called for cooperation from the party.

The People Power Party and the Seoul Metropolitan Government held a budget policy meeting at the National Assembly on November 6 to discuss Seoul's fiscal issues and plans for national funding next year.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attend a budget policy meeting between the party and the Seoul Metropolitan Government at the National Assembly on November 6, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju.

Jang said, "The government has not only drawn up an ultra-expansionary budget of 821 trillion won, but also added 162 trillion won to the Future Response Fund, the president's personal piggy bank." He added, "We will boldly cut wasteful spending and ensure that the necessary funds go where they are needed."

Comparing Seoul's fiscal management with the government's, he said, "Mayor Oh has kept debt strictly at this year's level while increasing the budget for substantive programs for citizens. This is what the People Power Party means by responsible fiscal management." He added, "The People Power Party and Seoul are one team," emphasizing, "The party will join hands with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to protect people's livelihoods."

Mayor Oh also criticized the government for shifting the costs of expanding cash-based welfare and other programs onto local governments. "The tax burden per Seoul resident is among the highest in the country, but national funding for Seoul is among the lowest," he said. "The additional burden resulting from differential subsidy rates alone amounts to around 3.6 trillion won a year."

"The government talks about cooperation between the central and local governments, yet it has ample fiscal resources while severely restricting support for local governments," Mayor Oh said, calling on the party to "set this Nolbu fiscal regime right."

The Seoul Metropolitan Government called for improvements to differential national subsidy rates; increased national funding for repairs to aging sewer lines and subway facilities; and support to cover losses from free rides on urban railways. It also sought eased restrictions on transferring association membership rights, higher floor-area ratios for private-sector redevelopment projects, and an increase in the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio for relocation loans, to speed up housing supply through redevelopment projects.

After the meeting, Mayor Oh also shared his views on calls for party unity with reporters. "For the party to win the general and presidential elections, it must be run in a way that minimizes internal conflict and division and brings members together," he said. "I will approach this with broad principles in mind."

On the possibility of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon rejoining the party, he said, "Having broad consensus among most party members as a precondition can help minimize conflict as important matters move forward." He added, "We need to handle this with the care we would use with fine china."

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