Seoul mayoral candidates kick off races on first day of campaign period

Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party speaks at a campaign rally in Gangbuk District, Seoul, Thursday, as the campaigning period for the June 3 local elections officially kicks off. Yonhap

With the campaigning period for the June 3 local elections officially kicking off Thursday, Seoul mayoral candidates from both major parties launched their bids in neighborhoods with deep personal roots.

While the conservative People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon focused his attacks on the Lee Jae Myung administration's housing policy and called for checks on its power, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea candidate, Chong Won-o, highlighted the Lee administration's achievements over the past year while pointing to a catalog of safety lapses under Oh's four terms as mayor.

Oh launched his campaign in Gangbuk District, where he spent his childhood. In his subsequent stump speech, he turned to housing, saying the Lee administration had driven the market to a breaking point.

“Whether you own or rent, jeonse or monthly, just thinking about moving is enough to send your anxiety through the roof,” Oh said. “Jeonse units are nowhere to be found, and renewing a monthly lease at your current rate has become impossible.”

Jeonse is a unique Korean rental system where tenants pay a large lump-sum deposit, known as key money, to the landlord, in lieu of monthly rent.

Jo, a real estate agent in his 30s who asked to be identified only by his surname, was watching Oh's speech from his office. Though he had yet to make up his mind, he agreed that the housing market has been frozen.

“Jeonse prices have definitely gone up a lot. When sales transactions dry up, at least jeonse and monthly rentals should be turning over, but even those aren't,” Jo told The Korea Times.

Jung Mi-ok, who has run a dumpling stall in the neighborhood for 30 years, said she was not a big fan of Oh but still preferred him over the other candidates. “Business is slow. Housing prices keep climbing.”

“This election must deliver judgment on the Lee administration, which has made your livelihoods harder,” Oh said, adding that the administration had mobilized every lever of power solely to secure its own future after leaving office.

The Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate, Chong Won-o, speaks at a campaign rally in Seongdong District, Seoul, Thursday, as the campaigning period for the June 3 local elections officially kicks off. Courtesy of Chong Won-o's campaign

Across town, Chong launched his campaign in Seongdong District, where he has built his political career over 12 years as district mayor.

Chong went after Oh, pointing to a string of safety failures under his watch, including the 2008 arson case that severely damaged national treasure Sungnyemun, the gate also known as Namdaemun, and the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people. He also cited the recent discovery of missing reinforcement bars at the GTX-A Samseong Station transfer center, a five-level underground complex designed to integrate subway, bus and commercial facilities.

“Shoddy construction was happening right there, and Oh says he only found out from the news. How negligent do you have to be for your own staff to not even report it to you?” Chong said.

Chong touted the Lee administration's accomplishments, from resolving a looming Samsung Electronics strike to securing the passage of a Korean tanker through the blockaded Hormuz Strait, arguing that local government deserves the same competent leadership.

Kwon Su-ja, 70, who has lived in Seongdong District for 50 years, said the area developed a lot when Chong was district mayor. “Welfare improved, and things are definitely better than they used to be.”

Shin Hee-chan, a 54-year-old real estate agent, said he backed Chong for his years of successful governing experience as a district mayor. “What we need is an administrator, not a politician.”