The collapse of the Seosomun overpass in Seoul's Seodaemun district on Wednesday has pushed safety to the forefront as the biggest variable in the final stretch of the Seoul mayoral race. Candidates from both ruling and opposition parties simultaneously suspended their campaign activities and called for a swift response to the accident.
Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party's Seoul mayoral candidate, visited the accident site that day and said, "I rushed here hoping to minimize casualties and damage and to see the rescue operation end quickly," adding, "My priority is accident response and rescue." He also urged, "I hope this accident is resolved swiftly so that citizens' daily lives can be protected. I ask the construction officials and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to do their utmost in handling the accident."
Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate, also temporarily suspended his campaign after learning of the accident. "I urge the Seoul Metropolitan Government and relevant authorities to make all-out efforts on swift relief measures to prevent loss of life," Oh said. "I hope they will ensure the safety of on-site workers and citizens and do their utmost so that the situation can be fully resolved."
Both ruling and opposition parties are refraining as much as possible from blame games over the accident and are closely monitoring the response. Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, canceled his scheduled campaign event in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, and headed to Seoul. Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, who had been campaigning in Seoul's Mapo district, also moved to the party's central headquarters in Yeouido to monitor the accident response. The Democratic Party and the People Power Party announced that they would suspend campaign activities involving upbeat music and choreography for the time being. Jung's campaign issued an internal notice immediately after the accident instructing staff to "refrain from any campaign tie-ins or attacks on opponents."
Political circles are paying attention to the possibility that this accident will emerge as a key issue in the Seoul mayoral race. With safety problems surfacing as a central concern at major construction sites in Seoul, including the Seosomun overpass and the Samseong Station section of the Greater Seoul Express Train (GTX) Line A, observers expect each candidate's safety management and oversight capabilities, as well as crisis response abilities, to be put to the test.
In fact, the Democratic Party has been intensifying its offensive over the missing rebar issue at the Samseong Station section of the GTX-A Line, raising suspicions of a cover-up by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and calling it "a case that shows candidate Oh's insensitivity to safety." The People Power Party has countered that "there were no safety problems, and it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which failed to verify the report."
