Will 'joint operation' of Seoul between Oh, Ahn be possible?

Oh Se-hoon, left, of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), shakes hands with Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the minor opposition People's Party, at the PPP's headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday, after Oh's election as the new Seoul mayor in Wednesday's by-election was confirmed. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun

By Jun Ji-hye

With Oh Se-hoon of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) returning to the Seoul mayoral post after winning the April 7 by-election, eyes are now on whether his pledge to “jointly operate the country's capital” with Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the minor opposition People's Party, will actually be realized.

On March 23, Oh beat Ahn in a bipartisan primary to become the single unified candidate representing the opposition in the Seoul mayoral by-election against Park Young-sun, the candidate from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), as the two opposition parties sought to merge their campaigns in a bid to increase their chances of winning the election.

Since his victory against Ahn, Oh has kept stressing his intention to jointly conduct city affairs with Ahn's party as a “joint operation,” vowing to demonstrate the “politics of coexistence.”

Ahn also actively helped Oh throughout the election campaign, keeping his word to accept the result of the primary and actively cooperate with Oh and the PPP for an opposition victory.

After winning the by-election, Oh told reporters, Thursday, “I will focus on cooperating with Ahn in instituting policies. Seoul citizens will be able to see me and Ahn meeting regularly and discussing city affairs together.”

Ahn also told reporters at the time that he and Oh would fulfil their pledges step by step.

But it remains to be seen whether the two will be able to begin their joint operation of the capital immediately away as they had already postponed the establishment of a consultative group to discuss how to jointly carry out city affairs, until after Oh's election.

Oh also took up his duties as Seoul mayor just a day after the election without forming a transition team, as he was elected to serve out the remaining 15 months of the late former Mayor Park Won-soon's four-year term.

These circumstances are raising the likelihood that the launch of joint operations between Oh and Ahn could take a considerable amount of time, or even be pretty hard to pull off, given Oh's short term in office.

Aside from the time issue, it also remains to be seen whether the two will have the same objectives in city affairs, because their only common goal was beating the ruling party candidate.

It is speculated that, if Oh is committed to his pledge, he will have to select some of Ahn's aides for several key posts in the city government or city-affiliated organizations, such as a deputy mayor.

An official from the People's Party expressed hope for this, saying, “Oh has vowed to announce details related to the joint operation of the capital. We expect Oh to select members of the city government among figures of the entire opposition bloc.”

If the joint operation happens, it would raise the chances for the opposition to continue fielding a single candidate for the presidential election slated for next March against a DPK candidate amid the decreasing popularity of the ruling party.

Meanwhile, Rep. Joo Ho-young, the PPP floor leader who is also serving as acting chairman, mentioned the possible merger of his party and Ahn's People's Party, Friday, saying the matter should be settled before his party elects its new leadership.

“It would be possible for Ahn to run for the PPP chairmanship if he is willing,” Joo said during an appearance on KBS radio.

The April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election took place after former Mayor Park Won-soon, who was in his third term, committed suicide last July after his former secretary accused him of sexual harassment.

Oh served as Seoul mayor from 2006 to 2011 before resigning from the post in the second year of his second four-year term over his failed campaign opposing the introduction of free school meals for all students led by the then liberal-dominated Seoul Metropolitan Council.