Jung-gu, Seoul, is considered a barometer of Seoul's public sentiment. In every election, Jung-gu has matched Seoul citizens' voting intentions with precision. In the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, in Jung-gu, candidate Oh Se-hoon received 56.81% and candidate Park Young-sun received 39.98%, while across Seoul, Oh Se-hoon received 57.50% and Park Young-sun received 39.18%. It was virtually an error-free match of the election result. It was the same in the 2022 20th presidential election.
With the Seoul mayoral election a week away, how do Jung-gu residents feel? On the 26th, at Jungang Market in Jung-gu, a restaurant owner, a person surnamed Park (52, female), said, "Candidate Oh Se-hoon has served as Seoul mayor four times, but candidate Chong Won-o is a legendary district chief who enjoys overwhelming support in Seongdong-gu," adding, "A few days ago, Oh Se-hoon came to Jungang Market to stump, but I still haven't made up my mind."
Residents cited continuity of policy as Oh's strength. A person surnamed Choi (57, male), who runs an optical shop in Namdaemun Market, said, "Candidate Chong is an impressive figure, but as a first-termer, major policies are likely to be closer to erasing the previous mayor's legacy and preparing for the next term," adding, "I want to lend strength to Oh's six years."
By contrast, an office worker, a person surnamed Kim (33, male), met in front of Sindang Station, said, "Recent pledges by Mayor Oh, such as the Han River bus and the BTS Gwanghwamun concert, are the talk of the town, but relative to the budget投入, few people would use them, so they feel like showy pledges."
Reactions were also split on candidate Chong. A college student, a person surnamed Jung (24, female), met in front of Sindang Station, said, "These days Seongsu is so crowded it's hard even to walk around," adding, "There's too much of a shortage of so-called hot places where people and pop-up stores gather." Jung added, "Oh Se-hoon has been Seoul mayor for six years, but when it comes to building and managing commercial districts, Chong Won-o seems to be superior."
People pointed to a lack of communication as Chong's weakness. Many reacted negatively to Chong effectively refusing multi-candidate debates. A person surnamed Moon (61, male), who runs a cafe in Myeong-dong, said, "I wanted to hear the specifics of Chong's ideas through the debates, but in the end it will wrap up with a single session right before the election," adding, "It could have been a win-win if each candidate questioned the other and then revised and supplemented their pledges accordingly. It's a pity."