Seoul mayoral candidates Jeong Won-oh, Park Joo-min, and Jeon Hyun-hee from the ruling party squared off over policies spanning real estate, transportation, and other areas. Observers noted that Jeong, widely regarded as the candidate favored by President Lee Jae-myung — a notion known as "myeongsim" (the president's heart) — faced the most concentrated scrutiny. Jeon criticized Jeong's campaign pledges as "empty shells," while Park pressed hard on policy effectiveness, including how to secure funding.
Candidates Park and Jeon appeared on a special "100-Minute Debate" program at MBC's new building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on May 31, both emphasizing in their opening remarks that they are "proven candidates." Park said, "If verification fails during the primary, the result is defeat in the general election," adding, "We need more thorough verification and more rigorous debate." Jeon stressed, "I am a candidate whom the Yoon Suk-yeol regime investigated thoroughly, yet not a speck of dust was found. You have to be clean to win. An uncertain candidate won't do." The remarks are interpreted as highlighting their strengths as vetted candidates, as a series of allegations have recently been raised against Jeong.
On President Lee Jae-myung's recent proposal to restrict senior citizens' free subway rides during rush hours, all three candidates said they "agree with the intent." However, they differed on the method of restriction. Park said, "I understand the proposal as an effort to increase public transit use while finding ways to reduce congestion, given the energy crisis caused by recent wars," adding, "How about temporarily making public transit free or reducing fares to boost ridership, while diversifying and making commuting hours more flexible to ease congestion?" Jeon said, "It is necessary to issue separate transit cards for seniors who actually commute to work during rush hours, so they can continue to use the existing free transit system."
Jeong, however, argued that a voluntary campaign approach would be more appropriate than restrictions imposed by the government or the Seoul Metropolitan Government. "It is extremely difficult to distinguish between seniors who commute to work and those who don't, and it is also impossible to forcibly restrict seniors' movement during rush hours," Jeong said. "Therefore, rather than restricting senior free subway rides during rush hours through government or Seoul city measures, we should launch a campaign appealing for voluntary participation, asking seniors to adjust their travel during commuting hours."
Jeon strongly criticized Jeong's campaign pledges as lacking feasibility. "Among Jeong's pledges, affordable apartments are very unlikely to be supplied within his term," Jeon said, calling them "affordable in name only, with no substance." She explained that supply would be virtually impossible given that redevelopment and reconstruction projects in Seoul typically take more than 10 years. Jeong countered, "If it's needed, we have to make it happen," asking, "If we're questioning feasibility, wouldn't all of Jeon's pledges face the same problem?" Jeon also criticized Jeong's pledge of "5-minute buses and 10-minute subways," calling it "impressive on the surface but an empty shell."
Park also scrutinized Jeong's pledge to make Seoul a "global G2 city." Park said, "Jeong's idea relies on attracting private investment through Seoul's licensing and permit authority, but that alone makes it difficult to secure sufficient funding. Seoul needs to separately establish an economic development corporation to actively attract private capital, including foreign investment." Jeong responded that creating business districts within Seoul could secure new growth engines, calling it "a method that requires no public funding."
Criticism also arose over Jeong's social media post at the time of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's life imprisonment sentencing, in which he wrote that "the court honored the will of the people." Park said, "He initially wrote that the court honored the will of the people, and later revised the post. It was hard to view the sentencing at that time as reflecting the will of the people, which is why Jeon and I issued stronger messages." Jeong rebutted, "I said the court honored the will of the people in the sense that even the Ji Gwi-yeon court, which had kept citizens trembling with anxiety, delivered a guilty verdict on insurrection charges."