Oh Se-hoon Delays Candidate Registration: “I Will Run for Mayor, on Condition of Early Launch of the ‘Innovation Election Committee’”

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[The Financial News] Oh Se-hoon, mayor of Seoul, who has not yet completed registration as the People Power Party (PPP) candidate for the upcoming June 3 local elections, stressed that he will run, saying, "I can often see people making groundless speculations about the election, so I want to make my position clear" and "I will take part in the election."
Attending the "Hi Seoul Company Business Briefing" on the 12th, Oh told reporters after giving a special lecture, "I want to participate in the election." He added, "However, as someone seeking to run for Seoul mayor, who is expected to play a leading role in the greater Seoul area races, I have requested that at least certain preconditions be met so that the basic conditions for going into the campaign battlefield are in place."
The People Power Party Nomination Management Committee kept additional candidate registration open for Seoul and South Chungcheong Province through this day. Regarding this, Oh drew a line, saying, "I cannot register for the nomination today." He went on, "There are no signs at all that we are entering the implementation phase of a course correction," and pointed out, "I saw this morning that the party leader decided not to push the ethics committee’s activities any further, but that alone is not enough to be called a change of course."
However, he also said, "I have said that I could register if there are at least some signs of change in the leadership," and explained, "I earnestly ask that you give me a bit more time to register, and in the meantime pursue changes that meet at least the minimum conditions. If that happens, I will register as a candidate and campaign hard."
Oh cited two preconditions for registering as the PPP candidate: a level of personnel change that clearly symbolizes a shift in the party line, and the early launch of an "Innovation Election Committee."
On personnel renewal, he said, "There are members who are excessively attached to the existing line," and explained, "When the public sees at least some action being taken, it will create an atmosphere in which we can fight the elections in the greater Seoul area."
He placed particular emphasis on the need for an early launch of the "Innovation Election Committee." Oh said, "I clearly conveyed this request when I met parliamentary leader Song Eon-seok over lunch today," and stressed, "The best option is to launch the Innovation Election Committee early, so that people can clearly see that last Monday’s resolution to change the party line is finally starting to be put into practice."
He continued, "If we appoint a head of the election countermeasures committee who is fully capable of faithfully implementing the party line, it will help dispel public misunderstandings," adding, "If we make the newly appointed head of the election countermeasures committee the party’s brand and face for the campaign, I believe we will have a real chance in the greater Seoul area races."
As for the possibility of running as an independent if these preconditions are not met, he flatly dismissed it, saying, "I have never considered that. That will not happen."
With just over a month left before the official campaign period begins, coordination with the party remains a race against time. Oh urged a swift decision, saying, "We cannot keep dragging things out indefinitely while everything remains undecided," and "I need to settle my position as soon as possible."
chlee1@fnnews.com Lee Chang-hoon Reporter