Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate, will hold their first and only face-to-face debate one day before early voting begins. The two candidates are expected to clash over Seoul's real estate policies and livelihood issues.
According to the National Election Commission on Monday, the four Seoul mayoral candidates — Jung, Oh, Reform Party candidate Kim Jung-chul, and Justice Party candidate Kwon Young-gook — will participate in a televised debate hosted by the commission at SBS Prism Tower in Mapo-gu, Seoul, at 11 p.m. on the 28th.
This will be the first face-to-face debate between Jung and Oh. The two candidates had previously attended three invitational debates hosted by the Korean Association of Newspapers and Broadcasting Editors, the Kwanhun Club, and the Broadcast Journalists Club, but appeared at different time slots, preventing a direct encounter.
This debate will also be a multi-candidate format including Kwon and Kim, rather than a head-to-head between Jung and Oh. Still, with both candidates gathering in one place for a live debate, it is expected to feature policy confrontations as well as exchanges over the controversies each side has raised against the other. The key topics of debate are expected to be Seoul's real estate policy, livelihood issues, and safety.
Oh is expected to make full use of his experience as the incumbent mayor, having led Seoul's municipal administration for a total of 10 years. Focusing on real estate, he is likely to continue his offensive by emphasizing that ongoing redevelopment, reconstruction, and urban renewal projects could face disruptions if his administration is not extended.
Jung, on the other hand, is expected to focus intensely on safety issues, including the recently surfaced controversy over missing reinforcing bars at Samseong Station. Jung has recently visited the Samseong Station construction site multiple times and attended a memorial cultural event for the Guui Station tragedy, putting safety at the forefront of his agenda. He is also expected to mount a verification offensive by emphasizing a "judgment theory" against the Hangang Bus project and housing supply policies implemented during Oh's tenure.
