Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on the 18th, "Now is the time when the acting president Choi Sang-mok's regime should closely communicate with the newly launched Trump administration and meticulously manage the Korea-U.S. relationship," urging the opposition to stop the "Choi Sang-mok shaking."
On the same day, Mayor Oh emphasized on his Facebook, "In the situation where North Korea is taking advantage of the chaos to repeatedly launch short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) in the East Sea, we must thoroughly maintain our security posture and solidify the Korea-U.S. alliance." He added, "The entity managing the Korea-U.S. relationship should naturally be acting president Choi Sang-mok," and stated, "We must once again emphasize the strategic value of the Korea-U.S. alliance through a congratulatory phone call immediately after President Trump's inauguration."
He referred to the impeachment phase of President Park Geun-hye in 2017, stating, "At that time, the only Economics Minister Yoo Il-ho visited the U.S. in January to discuss economic issues, and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Jang Hyung-wan visited in March to manage diplomatic and trade issues. The reason the Korea-U.S. alliance was strong was not because there were no crises, but because they overcame crises well."
Mayor Oh strongly criticized the opposition's offensive. He pointed out, "Acting President Choi Sang-mok is clearly in the position of acting head of state. However, Leader Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea attacked him as the 'chief culprit of instability,' while some opposition lawmakers are threatening by coercing the appointment of constitutional judges, saying 'if you hold out, impeachment is 100% certain.'"
Mayor Oh stated, "The opposition should stop its strategic offensive now and cooperate to ensure that the Choi Sang-mok acting regime can stably manage the Korea-U.S. relationship in a grand perspective for the country."