As the ruling People Power Party began accepting nominations for the June 3 local elections, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon issued what he called a "final appeal" to party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, urging a strategic shift for the capital region and a change in party direction.
"I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff," Oh wrote on Facebook Monday morning.
"Win first, then go to battle. A leader who sends soldiers to the battlefield with all the conditions for certain defeat is unqualified," Oh wrote, directly criticizing Jang's election strategy.
Speaking on behalf of candidates struggling amid internal party strife ahead of the local elections, Oh said, "Local candidates are crying out to Representative Jang Dong-hyuk right now. Public sentiment is so hostile that our candidates in the field can't even hand out their business cards."
The party's election strategy for the capital region faces growing uncertainty as public sentiment has turned against the PPP following Jang's controversial remarks defending martial law and the party's failure to distance itself from the "Yoon Again" line. Party approval ratings have fallen to the 10% range.
Oh has repeatedly called for change through broadcast interviews and social media, stating "The leadership must break from Yoon to win the local elections" and "This local election is effectively the last chance for the People Power Party."
"If we lose the capital region, conservatives will enter another dark age," Oh wrote. "What meaning do nomination applications and primaries have if we don't first resolve the prerequisite of normalizing the party's direction?"
He warned that "primaries under current conditions will lead to factional conflicts in many regions, resulting in a devastating collapse of general election competitiveness."
"We must change the path of defeat into a path of victory. If we do, we can certainly win," he emphasized.
"There is no time left," Oh urged. "Even if it means postponing nomination applications, I ask that you arrange for our party lawmakers to gather in one place for an intensive, conclusive debate."
"We must reach a conclusion on what path will restore public trust and lead to electoral victory," he wrote. "I will wait and wait again with a desperate heart for the party to change."