Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
ANALYSIS Oh Se-hoon begins final mayoral term with 2030 presidential bid in view
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a ceremony marking his new term at City Hall in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Court verdict on illegal political funds could derail his path to Cheong Wa Dae
Oh Se-hoon was reinaugurated as Seoul mayor Wednesday, beginning a final four-year tenure many view as a launch pad and test ground for a presidential bid in 2030.
Having secured his place as one of the key leaders within the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Oh’s term this time is expected to serve less as a routine mayoral administration and more as a high-stakes audition for the nation’s highest office.
In his address, Oh sketched out five priorities — young people, health, housing, transport and small businesses — but spoke in terms that reached well beyond the capital, promising to confront youth employment insecurity, soaring housing costs and the squeeze on small businesses.
“If young people no longer believe that honest work leads to a decent life and that taking risks opens up opportunities, there is no greater crisis for Korea,” Oh said. “We must not allow even a single citizen to live in the despair of believing they will never own even one home in their lifetime. There can be no more important livelihood task than easing people’s housing worries.”
He then pledged to put quality of life at the center of his administration.
“Changing citizens’ lives is the very reason administration exists, and that is the report card that matters for city governance,” he said. “We will judge everything only by the standard of their lives and move forward with their happiness as our sole goal. We will ensure to build Seoul into a ‘special city of quality of life’ recognized around the world.”
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon shake hands with visitors ahead of his inaugural ceremony held at City Hall in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis
The inauguration was staged as an open house at City Hall, bringing in residents who rarely visit the building alongside key governance partners to hear Oh’s vision and policy direction. The mayor spent the morning greeting attendees inside City Hall, personally thanking them for their congratulatory messages and words of support.
The same day, the Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled plans to remake Yeouido Park into a fresh, culture-and-ecology complex by 2030, the year of the next presidential election. Under a plan approved by city officials, the park — first opened in 1999 — will be transformed into a futuristic space for cultural events and public gatherings.
The timing of Oh’s mayoral exit in 2030 is neatly aligned with the political calendar. By the time his term concludes, the country will be moving into full gear for the next presidential cycle. In the most recent local race, Oh cemented his status as a rising conservative standard-bearer by overcoming a sizable deficit in early polls and winning despite the PPP’s unpopularity — a comeback that has put him alongside Han Dong-hoon, a former PPP leader who captured a by-election parliament seat in Busan as an independent.
Recent polling also shows Oh’s emergence as a leading conservative figure. In a nationwide survey, released on Tuesday by Hankook Research, 23 percent of 2,000 respondents picked Han as the most suitable figure to lead the conservative bloc, followed by Oh at 18 percent. The next tier — Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok, PPP lawmakers Lee Jin-sook and Ahn Cheol-soo — each drew just 4 percent, while PPP Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok was at 3 percent.
However, legal uncertainties hang over Oh's political future. He faces a first-instance verdict on July 22 over allegations that he received illicit polling services from political broker Myung Tae-kyun through a third-party payment arrangement. Last month, an investigation team under independent counsel Min Joong-ki sought an 18-month prison sentence.
Under the Political Funds Act, a confirmed fine of 1 million won or more would automatically void his election win and strip him of the right to stand for public office. Under the special counsel law, both the second and third trials must each conclude within three months, meaning a final Supreme Court ruling could come before the end of the year. A conviction at that threshold would effectively put his presidential ambitions on hold.