Jung: "Let's end the incompetent and irresponsible Oh Se-hoon" ... Oh: "I will complete the era of Gangbuk's heyday" [12 days before the June 3 local elections]

As official campaigning for the June 3 local elections began at midnight on the 21st, the ruling and opposition candidates in the closely watched Seoul mayoral race also launched their campaign schedules.
Jung Won-oh of the Democratic Party of Korea began his campaign in Seongdong District and toured the so-called Han River Belt. Oh Se-hoon of the PPP highlighted the theme of the "era of Gangbuk's heyday."
Jung held a kickoff rally in Seongdong District, where he once served as district mayor and which he calls his political hometown, and appealed to voters by saying, "Let's end the incompetent and irresponsible administration of Oh Se-hoon."
Jung cited the fire at the demolition site in Yongsan District 4, the Umyeonsan landslide, the Itaewon crowd crush, the arson fire at Sungnyemun, and the fatal sinkhole accident in Myeongil-dong. He criticized Oh, saying, "Why did so many safety accidents and major incidents happen during Mayor Oh's term? Isn't it because of a lack of safety awareness that serious safety accidents and major incidents occur every year, leaving citizens to suffer?" He then urged voters, saying, "If you want a Seoul that puts safety first, not one numb to safety risks, please vote for Jung Won-oh."
On the first day of campaigning, Jung focused heavily on Gangnam, Seocho District, and the Han River Belt. Earlier, he had also unveiled pledges to cut property taxes and ease redevelopment regulations in an effort to win support in Gangnam 4-gu and the Han River Belt, including Gwangjin District, Seongdong District, Mapo District, and Yongsan District. These areas are considered tough battlegrounds or places with many undecided voters, and they are highly sensitive to real estate pledges. Reflecting that, Jung also said he would meet victims of charter fraud at Youth Safe Housing in Gwangjin District and work out solutions.
Oh targeted Gangbuk on the first day of official campaigning. Visiting Samyang-dong in Gangbuk District, where he spent his childhood, he said, "I will complete the era of Gangbuk's heyday." He put housing supply expansion at the forefront and stressed the need to keep the Lee Jae-myung administration in check. By emphasizing that he is from Gangbuk and is in step with ordinary citizens, he sought to build a sense of empathy. He also underscored his determination to carry the "era of Gangbuk's heyday," a key policy of the 8th term of popularly elected local government heads, into the 9th popularly elected local government term. At the same time, he presented himself as the right person for the next Seoul mayor in order to counter the powerful support base of the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party, which controls the legislature.
Oh emphasized that after returning to office as mayor in 2021, his first priority was easing height restrictions and revitalizing reconstruction and redevelopment projects. He said, "There are currently 35 redevelopment and reconstruction projects underway in Gangbuk District." He added, "During Mayor Park Won-soon's term, 389 redevelopment zones were lifted, blocking the possibility of new housing supply," and claimed that "Gangbuk District is where the frozen market was reignited." At a rally at Samyang Intersection, he also said, "I will continue to push development projects in northeastern Seoul, including the Gangbukhoengdan Line, the Dongbuk Line, the Ui-Banghak Line, Seoul Arena, and the Chang-dong Biocluster," and added, "I will create a wave of development in the northeastern region, which has lagged behind Gangnam, and complete balanced development in Seoul."
ronia@fnnews.com Lee Seol-young, Song Ji-won, Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter