Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon again put off applying for the People Power Party nomination for the June 3 Seoul mayoral election. He took a hard-line step, saying party leader Jang Dong-hyeok has shown no visible move to change the party line. As the power struggle between Oh and Jang intensifies, some say an early leadership race has been set ablaze.
◇Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's two postponements of filing for nomination are a "hard-line move"
The People Power Party nomination committee on the 12th accepted additional applications for nominations for two posts, the Seoul mayor and South Chungcheong governor, but Oh did not register. Meeting reporters the previous afternoon, Oh said, "I cannot register for the nomination today," and added, "If you sum up the party changes since the 'sever-Yoon' declaration, I have said what matters after that is implementation, but there has been no sign at all of moving to the execution stage."
Oh has stressed that personnel renewal for figures who echoed "Yoon again" rhetoric and the launch of an innovation campaign committee must come first. He said, "Isn't Jang continuing to refrain from making a clear statement on (severing ties with Yoon)?" and added, "If we fight the election with a new campaign chief as the face of the party, the capital region election would be worth contesting." In effect, he argues that Jang should move to the second line and the election should be fought under a new campaign chief system.
Earlier, on the 8th, Oh also showed dissatisfaction with Jang's line and did not file for nomination. The next day, apparently mindful of this, the People Power Party held a general meeting of lawmakers and issued a resolution including "severing ties with Yoon Suk-yeol, the former president." While the party leadership led by Jang appeared to step back, Oh ramped up pressure, calling for concrete implementation measures.
In line with Oh's demands, voices within the party are also mentioning the need for an innovation campaign committee. Lawmaker Kim Yong-tae told reporters that day, "We need to bring in an innovation campaign chief," and said, "Ahead of the local elections, to properly criticize the mismanagement of the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration and give force to our message, we need an important messenger."
◇Nomination committee chief Lee Jung-hyun suddenly resigns, adding to nomination discord
The leadership under Jang Dong-hyeok is seething, saying Oh crossed the line with his demands. Jang expressed displeasure at Oh's twice failing to register for nomination, saying that day, "Fairness is the lifeblood of nominations." This is seen as implying the nomination process must not be swayed by one person, Oh. Jang's side currently says it cannot accept Oh's demands.
Nomination committee chief Lee Jung-hyun also suddenly offered to resign that day. He was reported to have been strongly displeased with Oh's failure to register as a candidate. On the 8th, when Oh did not register by the deadline, he said the next day, "Even if it means holding an election without a candidate, we will firmly establish nomination discipline."
Some also analyze that the conflict between Oh and Jang is not merely a war of nerves over the local elections but was made with an eye on the party convention in August to elect a party leader. With victory in the local elections growing harder, an early leadership race appears to have begun. If the leadership does not accept Oh's demands, he may choose not to run. In that case, Oh could place political responsibility for the election outcome on Jang and make a bid for party leadership.
A political source said, "The focus of the People Power Party's internal conflict lies not so much in nomination rights for the local elections as in who holds the party leadership," and added, "If the conflict is not settled quickly, it could look as if the party has given up on the local elections."