Chong Won-o, the Seongdong District chief and a Seoul mayoral candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, and Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayor and the People Power Party's candidate, are walking opposite paths. While Chong is gaining momentum with support from Democratic Party lawmakers, Oh is isolating himself by clashing with the party leader. As the gap in support between the two narrows, the Seoul mayoral race has slipped into fog.
According to the political sphere on the 9th, Chong plans to step down from his district chief post just before the June 3 local election resignation deadline for public officials on May 5 and officially declare his candidacy. On the 8th, at a book concert held in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Chong said he intends to run for Seoul mayor, making his run in the local elections official.
Ahead of his Seoul mayoral bid, Chong secured as his support team lawmaker Lee Hae-sik, a former Gangdong District chief; lawmaker Chae Hyun-il, a former Yeongdeungpo District chief; and Spokesperson Park Kyung-mi, the regional chair for Gangnam-byeong. Chong has gradually raised his profile since President Lee Jae-myung's "public praise on social media." The oft-cited weakness of "intraparty organization" also seems to have been eased with the addition of lawmakers Lee and Chae and Spokesperson Park.
Chong is expected to fight the local election with direct and indirect support from the Democratic Party and the presidential office. In particular, he is expected to highlight that President Lee previously served as Seongnam mayor and deploy a strategy that emphasizes the administrative capacity of a basic local government leader. At the book concert, Chong stressed that administration must start from the demands of citizens' lives.
By contrast, Oh Se-hoon, the leading Seoul mayoral contender from the People Power Party, the main opposition, is out of tune with the party leadership. Oh unleashed criticism over cutting ties with former President Yoon Suk-yeol and the expulsion issue of former leader Han Dong-hoon, saying, "Jang Dong-hyeok must step down immediately" and "Jang has lost qualification." Jang shot back by mentioning a confidence vote on himself, saying, "Rather than criticize, put the position on the line."
As the conflict between Oh and Jang deepens, some in politics are even raising the possibility that Oh may not receive the nomination. Within the People Power Party, in addition to Oh, lawmaker Na Kyung-won, lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo and former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook are being mentioned as potential candidates.
An official with the People Power Party said, "The party's ethics committee has begun disciplinary proceedings against Seoul party chief Bae Hyun-jin. Bae is both in the 'pro-Han' camp and also considered Oh's closest aide," adding, "Bae's discipline can be seen as a signal that the party will not grant Oh the nomination."
Recently, a poll even showed Chong leading Oh outside the margin of error in preference for the next Seoul mayoral candidate. In a wireless ARS survey commissioned by Straight News and conducted by JoWon C&I on the 24th and 25th of last month of 804 Seoul residents aged 18 and older, Chong came in at 50.5% and Oh at 40.3%. Details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.