Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, met former President Lee Myung-bak on the 15th and walked along Cheonggyecheon while chatting.
On the morning of the day, Oh met the former president at Cheonggye Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul, and walked about 400 meters together along Cheonggyecheon. Oh and the former president walked along Cheonggyecheon and greeted citizens.
Oh said, "It is truly meaningful to be able to walk along Cheonggyecheon with former President Lee Myung-bak, whom I regard as a mentor in my heart."
The former president said, "When foreigners come, they often talk about citizens sitting by Cheonggyecheon reading books," and added, "Oh Se-hoon made Cheonggyecheon beautiful."
Oh said, "There was a time when I pondered what kind of software to layer on top of the hardware of Cheonggyecheon that the former president completed to make Cheonggyecheon a symbolic space for the quality of citizens' lives," and added, "Thanks to the 'Clear stream reading program,' Cheonggyecheon has become a space where citizens come out during lunchtime to enjoy a brief respite, a representative place where the quality of life can be felt."
Oh said, "After the former president's restoration of Cheonggyecheon, watching citizens walk along Cheonggyecheon with happy expressions, I realized that waterfront spaces where people can leisurely enjoy themselves are necessary to raise the quality of life," and added, "So we began the Dullegil project and the garden city project, placing 1,100 gardens so that even a five-minute walk on the way to work would bring people to green space."
He went on to say, "Through the Hangang Renaissance project, the concrete-covered riverside of the Han River was transformed into a space where Seoul citizens walk and stroll, sit under the shade of trees and chat quietly with acquaintances, and find peace of mind."
Later, meeting with reporters, Oh said, "The former president told me that 'the urban change that began with Cheonggyecheon must continue so that Seoul becomes a space that foreigners can be proud of and a global standard,'" and added, "We plan to elevate Seoul into a place where foreigners also feel the quality of Korean life and benchmark it."
Oh also said about recent analysis that the gap in approval ratings with candidate Jeong is narrowing, "As anticipated, approval ratings are changing a lot now," and added, "We are observing recent poll results that slightly exceed the margin of error or clearly fall within the margin of error."
He continued, "I will not be elated or dejected by approval ratings," and said, "As election day approaches, a contest changing to within about 3 percentage points (p) is expected, and I plan to return to my original intention and work hard with the mindset that 'we are always far behind.'"
Oh met former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min the previous day and met lawmaker Joo Ho-young earlier this week. It is a show of building leadership that embraces the entire conservative bloc.