People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-seop on the 27th raised an issue, saying that Chong Won-o, the Seongdong District chief, "repeatedly received donations at the individual maximum limit from heads of trash disposal companies based in Seongdong District during the 2014, 2018 and 2022 election cycles."
Kim said, "Trash disposal companies that donated to the district chief won a large-scale project totaling 35.7 billion won by concluding the Seongdong District household waste disposal contract (2025–2027) through a private contract," adding, "If trash operators handed over money in exchange for favors, it could constitute bribery, and breach of duty should also be examined."
According to the list of large donors to the district chief obtained by Kim's office, officials from trash disposal companies make up a significant portion of the major donor roster. In the case of Company A, which won the Seongdong District household waste disposal contract, its officials appeared on the district chief's large donor list in both 2014 and 2022. Other companies are in a similar situation.
Responding to Kim's allegation, the district chief said, "The companies mentioned have been exclusively handling Seongdong's sanitation, some as far back as 1996, and they are not firms that suddenly came in during my term," adding, "We conducted an open competitive bid, but no other companies participated and it was voided. Accordingly, we proceeded with a private contract under the National Contract Act and Seoul City guidelines. There is absolutely no room for the district chief to intervene."
The district chief added, "Agitation based on false information will entail serious legal responsibility."
This is not the first time Kim has raised allegations about the district chief. On the 25th, Kim raised questions about farmland owned by the district chief, alleging speculation related to roughly 600 pyeong of rice paddies and fields owned by the district chief in Yeosu. The district chief's side countered that it was "clearly fake news and a malicious political offensive," and a war of words continued for a while.
People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo on the 26th also pointed out that a Seongdong District resort facility was built near farmland in Yeosu owned by the district chief, saying, "It is difficult to understand as a matter of common sense." In response, the district chief countered, "It is a project decided by a resident vote."
Beyond Kim and Ahn, Seoul Vice Mayor for Political Affairs Kim Byung-min also posted a critical message about the district chief on social media, signaling that the People Power Party is moving into a full-on offensive against the district chief. In political circles, there is a view that with the district chief emerging as the ruling camp's leading candidate for Seoul mayor and even outpacing Mayor Oh Se-hoon in recent polls, a sense of crisis is growing within the People Power Party.
Until early December last year, the mood was different. At the time, Mayor Oh said, "Judging from the insight of Democratic Party candidates, I feel there are limits," but added, "In the case of District Chief Chong Won-o, it is fortunate that he shows a somewhat different view." However, after public praise from President Lee Jae-myung, the district chief quickly emerged as the ruling camp's leading candidate, and as recent head-to-head matchups showed the district chief leading Mayor Oh, the People Power Party found itself facing an urgent situation.
There is a growing sense that unless the district chief's momentum is blunted, it will be hard for the People Power Party to guarantee victory in the general election no matter whom it nominates. Within the People Power Party, the view is that a policy or pledge showdown would not offer strong odds.
A political insider said, "It will be difficult to get ahead in a policy contest against the district chief, who, after 12 years as a district head, has the traits of an administrator," adding, "The district chief's side would want to set the stage for a policy showdown, but for the People Power Party to create a turning point, it would be better to wage a negative offensive and turn it into a mudslinging fight."
Although the district chief is a former National Assembly aide, the fact that there is not much experience in central politics is also what the People Power Party is counting on. A Democratic Party official said, "The district chief is a figure who has never been properly vetted on the central stage," adding, "The reason other Democratic Party candidates are not giving up the primary despite low approval ratings is likely the expectation that problems with the district chief could be revealed in the vetting process."
The district chief and the Democratic Party are well aware of this weakness. For this reason, many incumbent lawmakers have recently joined the district chief's campaign to lend support. Lawmakers Lee Hae-sik and Chae Hyun-il, both former Seoul district chiefs, are effectively serving as co-chairs of the election committee, and lawmakers Park Min-kyu and Lee Jeong-heon are also set to join. Park Kyung-mee, a former lawmaker who serves as the Democratic Party's Spokesperson, is also expected to join.