Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, on the 12th, mentioned regarding the possibility of running for president as early elections become apparent, "Currently, a trial is underway at the Constitutional Court. I believe it is not too late to discuss early elections after that conclusion."
On that day, Mayor Oh held a brief meeting with reporters during the "Decentralization Constitutional Amendment Forum" hosted at the National Assembly Library.
Regarding the view that the forum on that day may have kickstarted his presidential campaign, he commented, "I cannot agree."
Mayor Oh stated, "The framework of the constitutional amendment today is a refined version of what I presented at discussions hosted by the political science association since last August," adding, "It is not desirable for the amendment discussions to be linked to the presidential campaign."
He continued, "The people are very concerned about the future of the country. Political chaos has reached its peak. I wanted to provide hope for overcoming this crisis and envisioning a new future for the country," explaining the background for the forum's holding.
Regarding the constitutional amendment proposal, he said, "I propose a local decentralization model that overcomes the downsides of the overly centralized imperial presidency and includes a significant overhaul of the nation, delegating all domestic authority to local governments." He emphasized, "I want to impart hope that this opportunity for system improvement can lead to a major transformation of the nation, providing a foundation for South Korea to achieve a quantum leap in terms of economic development, currently stagnant around $35,000 in per capita income, through a decentralization-centered constitutional amendment." He also added that discussions should include mechanisms for mutual checks between the cabinet and the National Assembly, adjustments to presidential terms, and a prime ministerial accountability system.
In response to a question about the alleged political bias of the Constitutional Court regarding the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol, he urged for "clear procedural fairness" from the court. He expressed, "I have concerns about whether it is appropriate when some judges do not seem to restrain their political inclinations, and if procedural fairness is not perfectly conveyed to the people, there will be citizens who disagree with any decision made, which is detrimental to the future of the country and does not contribute to the maintenance of judicial authority."
Regarding the "allegations of election fraud" raised by some in the ruling party, he stated, "Many citizens have raised concerns about poor management in election issues," adding, "I also agree that voting ahead of the main polling dates should be addressed."
In response to the question, "Is your stance in favor of impeachment still unchanged?" he emphasized, "I expressed a stance of wanting to seek a legal judgment through impeachment proceedings, and there has been no change."