Jeong Won-oh and Oh Se-hoon Turn Their Attention to Defeated Gwangjin District

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\r\n[Financial News] Jeong Won-oh of the Democratic Party of Korea and Oh Se-hoon of the PPP headed to Gwangjin District in Seoul on the morning of the 22nd. Gwangjin District is where Oh lost to lawmaker Ko Min-jung in the 21st National Assembly election. Jeong had already made it his first stop on the first day of official campaigning, and he returned there again the next day. Oh also made a direct visit, moving to confront the "trauma of defeat" head-on.
Jeong first visited Platform 9-4 at Guui Station in Gwangjin District wearing a black suit. It is the site where a field trainee repairing a screen door was struck and killed by a train in 2016. Jeong posted a note reading, "I will build Seoul where people can work safely," and placed a chrysanthemum flower there.
At the memorial cultural event, Jeong stressed, "There has been significant progress because a consensus has formed that safety at construction sites matters and that danger should not be outsourced, but the 'right to work safely' is still not being protected."
Oh did not attend the event. When reporters asked about that, Jeong snapped back, "I wonder why he did not come. Protecting citizens' lives and safety is the first duty a mayor must uphold." Oh, however, said he would visit Guui Station on the 28th, the 10th anniversary of the accident, and highlighted that he had expanded screen doors extensively during his first term as Seoul mayor.
After official campaigning began the previous day, Jeong made East Seoul Mail Center in Gwangjin District his first stop. He has visited Gwangjin District every day since then, and analysts say he is targeting the fact that it was the district where Oh once lost an election.
Oh responded by heading to Gwangjin District and visiting Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. "Dong Seoul Bus Terminal will become a key area that transforms Gwangjin," he said. "The Hangang Bus departing from Ttukseom will be a major asset for Gwangjin. But the Democratic Party will not stop at simply feeling jealous when something looks promising. It will try to block it from working."
Explaining why he has focused on the Han River Belt, including Gwangjin District, Oh said, "Citizens are suffering from a triple surge in housing leases, monthly rent, and home sales. The answer is 'just supply.' We need to expand housing supply across the Han River Belt." He added, "Over the past five years, during my administration, we designated many redevelopment and reconstruction zones. If they proceed naturally, the amount that can break ground by 2031 will reach 310,000 homes, and two-thirds of that, or 198,000 homes, are concentrated in the Han River Belt."
As Jeong and the Democratic Party of Korea moved to use the area where Oh had once lost as a strategic campaign stop, Oh countered by emphasizing his signature city policies and the housing issue.
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uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho Reporter