Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon directly criticized President Lee Jae-myung shortly after his victory in the June 3 local elections, saying he is "not in humble mode lately." Oh also argued that the election results confirmed within the People Power Party the need for a path of centrist expansion.
In an interview with Channel A's "News A" on Wednesday, Oh said, "My wish is for him to become a president who, upon accepting the results of this election, humbly listens to the hearts of the people and the demands of the people."
Oh also signaled his intention to attend an upcoming cabinet meeting to convey concerns from the field about the government's real estate policy. "I am scheduled to enter the cabinet meeting in the first week of the new term," he said. "There are problems with the real estate policies being implemented now. If the voices from the field are accurately conveyed, they will be accepted."
Regarding the election results, Oh assessed that they lent weight to the "centrist expansion theory" he has advocated. "Now that the election is over, I hope active discussions take place within the party over what will help in the next general election," Oh said. "Candidates with centrist expansion potential, such as Yoo Eui-dong and Han Dong-hoon in this election, survived, didn't they? In that sense, my raising of issues about the party's line all along has been proven valid."
On the background of his come-from-behind victory in the final stretch, Oh credited it as "an evaluation of my past five years of city administration." He said, "The Democratic Party artificially attacked the Hangang Bus, the Garden of Gratitude, and the Sewoon District. When they framed those as failed policies, their approval ratings fell."
In particular, on winning high support among the generation in their 20s and 30s, Oh said, "I was surprised myself." He added, "In the case of young men in their 20s, the support rate exceeded 75 percent, which was truly beyond expectations."
