With Chong Won-o, former Seongdong District head, selected as the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, three People Power Party preliminary candidates on the 10th clashed sharply over transportation, dwellings, and development policies as they began competing to be the "challenger to Chong Won-o."
The People Power Party held its second Seoul mayoral vision debate this afternoon with candidates Oh Se-hoon, Park Su-min, and Yoon Hee-sook in attendance. After this debate, the People Power Party will hold official campaign events from the 11th to the 15th and select its candidate on the 18th through a party-member vote (50%) and a public opinion poll (50%) conducted on the 16th and 17th.
After the Democratic Party of Korea finalized Chong Won-o as its candidate, the three preliminary candidates said it "worked to our advantage." Oh said, "Watching the (Democratic Party Seoul mayoral primary) debate, I wondered whether Chong truly had a vision for Seoul's future." Park said, "Chong is not a candidate chosen by Seoul residents but a candidate chosen by President Lee Jae-myung," adding, "There is little consideration for the lives of Seoul residents."
Yoon said, "Serving as Seongdong District head for 12 years, (Chong) used that power to build his own kingdom," adding, "Unlike the other two candidates, I fought Chong the hardest during the primary period. That's why, if I become the candidate, I believe I can fight the best."
In the initiative debate, Yoon took direct aim at Oh over redevelopment and reconstruction permitting and the method of public contributions. Yoon said current urban renewal project sites are "not administration but abuse of power," and pledged to create integrated permitting guidelines and have the city present multiple public-contribution options for residents to choose from. Yoon also criticized Oh's demand to install undesirable facilities in connection with higher floor area ratios as "overbearing leadership."
Oh countered that "a 'daycare center' or an elder care center are living infrastructure that residents will ultimately use, and it is difficult to cover all of this with the budget."
Park and Yoon clashed over the supplementary budget and basic income. Citing the supply shock from the Middle East war and the possibility of higher oil prices, Park argued that responses should focus on expense reduction, such as support for delivery workers, truck drivers, and the taxi industry, and a cut in the fuel tax.
Yoon agreed but targeted Park's point that basic income cannot be ruled out because of the AI era, criticizing, "It's right to think about it when the time comes; thinking about it in advance seems to be in the same spiritual wavelength as President Lee Jae-myung."
Debate also continued over Oh's signature "Han River bus." Oh said, "We are operating it with a fare of about 3,000 won per person by creating a revenue structure through the development of docks and more," adding, "We need to expand tourism infrastructure in preparation for the AI era and the era of $40,000 in national income."
Park, however, said, "Since the project has already begun, we need to clearly analyze whether demand is for commuting or for leisure," adding, "If elected mayor, I will decide within a month whether to continue the project."
Yoon, on the other hand, said, "Only about 60,000 people used the Han River bus during March, averaging 1,300 a day," adding, "If this trend continues, an annual loss of about 16 billion won is expected. It is a project close to fiscal waste and needs to be boldly scrapped."