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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Moon takes election rout as 'reprimand' from the public: Cheong Wa Dae spokesman

Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok speaks during a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapAfter his Democratic Party (DP) suffered an election rout, President Moon Jae-in stated Thursday that he takes it as a "reprimand" from the public.He said he will carry out his duties with a "humbler demeanor and heavier sense of responsibility," according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.Moon was quoted as adding that he will concentrate efforts on meeting the people's "desperate demands," including overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, revitalizing the economy, stabilizing the people's livelihoods and the real estate market, and rooting out corruption.The liberal DP was overwhelmingly defeated by the conservative main opposition People Power Party in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections the previous day.The defeats have added to speculation on whether Moon will shift his policy direction to win back voters with the presidential election less than a year away.Many say it would be hard for the president to press ahead with some of controversial reform measures that go

Apr 8, 2021
Moon takes election rout as 'reprimand' from the public: Cheong Wa Dae spokesman
  • By-election results poised to bring lame duck status for Moon

Ex-Seoul mayor returns to political spotlight after decade of unfulfilled ambitions

Main opposition People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon celebrates after exit polls suggested his victory at the party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapIt wouldn't be a stretch to describe Oh Se-hoon, the former Seoul mayor who was elected again to the post Wednesday, as a political gambler at heart. Nearly a decade ago in August 2011, Oh, then a two-term Seoul mayor, threw his job on the line in a high-stakes city referendum he called in opposition to a universal free school lunch program supported by the opposition-led city council.As the referendum ended up being rejected due to weak voter turnout, the mayor affiliated with the Grand National Party (GNP), the predecessor of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), resigned as promised. His resignation led to the advent of the three-term mayoralty of Park Won-soon, a liberal human rights lawyer-turned-politician.Coming from a family of relatively poor means, Oh, who turned 60 this year, passed the national bar exam in 1984. He first made national headlines in 1993 by successfully ha

Apr 8, 2021
Ex-Seoul mayor returns to political spotlight after decade of unfulfilled ambitions

By-election results poised to bring lame duck status for Moon

President Moon Jae-in / YonhapVoters' frustration and rage towards the Moon Jae-in administration's policy missteps, particularly blunders in trying to curb skyrocketing housing prices, were heard loud and clear in Wednesday's by-elections results in both Seoul and Busan. And as the mayoral elections, especially in Seoul, which is home to nearly 10 million of the country's total 52 million population, are seen as harbingers of public opinion ahead of next year's presidential election, the result is expected to speed up the onset of lame duck status for President Moon in his final year in office. For the time being, Cheong Wa Dae will undoubtedly reflect on its key policies. Moon is expected to face increased pressure to veer away from some key initiatives, including the signature policy drive to improve inter-Korean ties and pave the way for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is also expected to face calls for a complete overhaul of its policy direction and leadership. Perhaps the most stinging aspect of the election result is the fact that voters

Apr 8, 2021
By-election results poised to bring lame duck status for Moon
  • Moon takes election rout as 'reprimand' from the public: Cheong Wa Dae spokesman

Ruling party suffers crushing defeat in mayoral by-elections

Park Young-sun of the ruling Democratic Party leaves her party office in Yeouido in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District, April 7, after it was almost confirmed she lost to her rival Oh Se-hoon from the main opposition People Power Party in the Seoul mayoral election. YonhapConservatives win mayoral seats in Seoul, BusanThe ruling Democratic Party (DP) suffered a crushing defeat in mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan Wednesday, seen as a critical bellwether for next year's presidential poll.Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) defeated his rival from the DP, Park Young-sun, 57.5 percent to 39 percent to claim the Seoul mayoral seat, according to the final vote tally released by the National Election Commission. The mayoral seat in Busan, the country's second-largest city, also went to the PPP, with Park Heong-joon beating DP rival Kim Young-choon 63 percent to 34 percent.The PPP also swept 13 of 19 other local posts up for grabs in the elections.The polls, especially in Seoul, home to nearly 10 million of the country's 52 million population, are seen as harbingers

Apr 8, 2021
Ruling party suffers crushing defeat in mayoral by-elections
  • New Seoul mayor may seek to reverse predecessor's policies

Conservatives win landslide victory in Seoul, Busan by-elections

Oh Se-hoon, left, and Park Heong-joon, the candidates of the main opposition People Power Party for Seoul and Busan mayor posts, react at the party headquarters in Seoul and Park's election camp in Busan, respectively, early Thursday morning, after their victory in the by-elections has almost confirmed. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe main opposition People Power Party (PPP) swept the mayoral by-elections in the nation's two largest cities of Seoul and Busan by a landslide, Wednesday, giving a boost to the party ahead of next year's presidential election and further pushing beleaguered President Moon Jae-in into a lame duck presidency. The PPP's Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon beat Park Young-sun of the DPK at 57.5 percent to 39.18 percent, while in Busan the PPP's Park Heong-joon nearly double the votes of the DPK's Kim Young-choon, at 62.67 percent to 34.42 percent, according to the National Election Commission, Thursday.The by-elections to choose new mayors of Seoul and Busan took place at 3,459 polling stations across the country.The mayoral posts of the nation's largest- and secon

Apr 7, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Conservatives win landslide victory in Seoul, Busan by-elections
  • Voters want new Seoul mayor to seek realistic goals
  • Foreign residents want better support and equity from new Seoul mayor
  • Main opposition party's victory to change political landscape

High turnout flags opposition party's victory

Election staffers count ballots for the Seoul mayoral by-election at Gyeonggi Commercial High School in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Nam Hyun-wooThe high voter turnout in the mayoral by-elections for Seoul and Busan seems to have favored the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), which has been saying the election should be considered “a judgment” on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the Moon Jae-in administration. According to the National Election Commission, Wednesday, the interim turnout for the election stood at 55.5 percent. In Seoul, 58.2 percent of eligible residents cast their ballots, while the turnout for Busan reached 52.7 percent.The overall turnout was lower than the 66.2 percent turnout in last year's general election and the 60.2 percent in the 2018 local elections. Compared to previous by-elections, however, Wednesday's turnout was 4.3 percentage points higher than the 51.2 percent for a 201

Apr 7, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
High turnout flags opposition party's victory

Main opposition party's victory to change political landscape

Members of the main opposition People Power Party cheer at party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, as the exit poll for the Seoul mayoral by-election showed a likely victory for the party's candidate Oh Se-hoon, front row second from right. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Ruling party's defeat to accelerate lame-duck presidency for MoonBy Jung Da-minThe main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) victory against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in Wednesday's by-elections is expected to allow the former to take the lead in reorganizing the opposition and gain the upper hand in preparing for the presidential election next year. In contrast, the DPK, which clinched a crushing victory in last year's April general election, is likely to lose its drive to push ahead with various reform policies and accelerate the lame-duck presidency for President Moon Jae-in.The DPK had succeeded in winning a supermajority in last year's election with 180 National As

Apr 7, 2021
Main opposition party's victory to change political landscape
  • Conservatives win landslide victory in Seoul, Busan by-elections

New Seoul mayor may seek to reverse predecessor's policies

Oh Se-hoon, third from right, the Seoul mayoral candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, bumps fists with a party member at party headquarters on Seoul's Yeouido, Wednesday, before an exit poll was announced. Oh gained 59 percent in the preliminary exit poll jointly released by three broadcasters. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiOh Se-hoon of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who again became Seoul mayor following Wednesday's by-election, is expected to revive some of the signature policies he pursued previously while serving as mayor of the capital between 2006 and 2011. But political watchers say it remains to be seen whether he can really carry them out as his term will last about 15 months until the next local elections are held in June 2022. Oh gained 57.5 percent of vote at the end of the final vote tally compared to ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Park Young-sun's 39 percent.Oh is likely to revive his signature “Han

Apr 7, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
New Seoul mayor may seek to reverse predecessor's policies
  • Ruling party suffers crushing defeat in mayoral by-elections

Decade later, Oh makes return as Seoul mayor

Main opposition People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon speaks to party members at the party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, as they watch the results of the exit poll which showed Oh's likely victory. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Jung Da-minOh Se-hoon of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has become the mayor of Seoul for the third time ― first in 2006, then in 2010 and finally this year. Born in 1961, Oh became a lawyer in 1991 after passing the national bar exam. He made his political debut in 2000 when he was elected to represent the Gangnam-B constituency in the 16th general election as a lawmaker of the main opposition Grand National Party, a predecessor of the PPP.In 2006, Oh was elected as the youngest mayor of Seoul at the age of 45. His political presence grew even bigger when he was re-elected as mayor in 2010, beating former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook and when he started to be mentioned as a potential presidential candidate of the country's conservative bloc.But his political career faced a setback after he resi

Apr 7, 2021
Decade later, Oh makes return as Seoul mayor
  • Park Heong-joon, a 'moderate conservative' politician

Park Heong-joon, a 'moderate conservative' politician

Park Heong-joon, the Busan mayoral candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, celebrates at his campaign office in Busan, Wednesday, after an exit poll showed his likely victory. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPark Heong-joon of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who has become mayor of Busan, was one of the so-called “Lee Myung-bak kids” as he took various key posts under the former president. He was born in Busan's Dong District in 1960, but he spent most of his childhood in Seoul where his family moved when he was seven years old.He studied sociology at Korea University. During his college days, Park sustained injuries to his eyes while participating in pro-democracy demonstrations. Park briefly worked as a reporter for JoongAng Ilbo, a vernacular daily, after graduating from university, but returned to his alma mater to undertake his master's degree and doctorate in sociology. He was appointed professor of sociology at Dong-A University in Busan in 1991. Since then, his main residence ― and base for political activities ― has been in Busan.Park

Apr 7, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Park Heong-joon, a 'moderate conservative' politician
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