Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate, blasted rival People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon as a candidate in whom the "Seoul discount" is all rolled into one.
On the 1st, the candidate held a press conference in front of Seoul Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and issued an "appeal to the citizens of Seoul" containing this message.
Saying, "For 10 years, worries about housing have grown, commutes are still inconvenient, household finances are tight, and Seoul's safety has become more precarious," the candidate stressed that elements of the Seoul discount have grown under Oh's tenure.
He then said that Oh's election would be no different from saying he intends to sabotage the lives of Seoul citizens. He took issue with Oh's claim on the 31st that "if I am elected, I will keep the government in check at Cabinet meetings."
The candidate said, "Since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, (Oh) skipped 54 of 56 Cabinet meetings, giving up the chance to speak about the lives of Seoul citizens," adding, "Kicking away opportunities when they are there and now asking for another chance is the classic behavior of the incompetent and irresponsible."
He raised his voice, saying, "The Seoul mayor sits in on Cabinet meetings and must discuss pending issues with the government within the central–local cooperation council and the central safety management system."
Earlier, the candidate said Oh is of the same stripe as the "forces that amplified Korea's Korea discount." He said, "Former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, and former President Yoon Suk-yeol are reappearing on the front stage," adding, "As the election turns unfavorable, the People Power Party is once again summoning the past."
Regarding Oh's blanket label of him as "Lee Jae-myung's puppet," the candidate said, "It is nothing other than admitting he himself was a puppet of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration," and asked, "What was Oh doing when former President Yoon was repeatedly abusing power?"
He went on to say, "When Mayor Park Won-soon was in office, I served as (Seongdong) district chief and spoke hard truths; what I demanded on the side of citizens is all in the media."
At the end of the press conference statement, the candidate appealed, "On June 3, put an end to the time of the Seoul discount." He continued, "What Seoul needs is not the power of political strife but the power of solutions," adding, "The candidate who will properly represent citizens' voices at Cabinet meetings is Chong Won-o."