'Dinner Politics' Continues: Oh Se-hoon Tightens His Grip on the Opposition

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been continuing his “dinner politics” with lawmakers from across the opposition camp day after day. After being acquitted on appeal in the trial over allegations of proxy payments for Myeong Tae-gyun’s polling costs, his political standing has grown substantially, and he has taken it upon himself to become a focal point within the People Power Party. In particular, with the party’s lawmakers not showing strong confidence in its leader, Jang Dong-hyuk, Oh appears to be pursuing “conservative unity.”
According to the opposition camp on the 27th, Oh hosted dinners on the 26th and 27th at the Seoul mayor’s official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul, inviting lawmakers who had come to the courthouse on the day the appellate verdict was handed down. On the 26th, he spent around two hours with lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun, Kim Seok-ki, Shin Seong-beom, Lee Man-hee, Kim Mi-ae, Cho Eun-hee, Cho Jung-hoon and Lee Sang-hwi, as well as Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party. On the 27th, he met with lawmakers Kwon Young-jin, Um Tae-young, Kim So-hee and Seo Myeong-ok.
The stated purpose was to thank the lawmakers who had supported Oh’s acquittal. The dinner reportedly took place in a warm, friendly atmosphere, with only pleasantries exchanged and no discussion of political issues. Lee Jun-seok was said to have composed a three-line acrostic: “Like a roly-poly doll, weathering life’s storms, you become a warm breeze.” Some voices cautioned against reading too much into speculation that a pro-Oh Se-hoon faction was forming within the People Power Party around Oh. “It wasn’t a gathering to consolidate forces,” lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said. “It was an occasion for Mayor Oh, as a dependable pillar of the party, to speak about the values that sensible, rational and reform-minded conservatives should pursue.”
Even so, Oh’s political reach in the opposition camp appears to be expanding by the day. Conservative figures who advocate “rational conservatism” are congratulating Oh on emerging unscathed and calling for broad unity encompassing Oh, party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and Lee Jun-seok. Former lawmaker Ryu Seung-min appeared on YTN Radio’s “Jang Sung-cheol’s News Myeongdang” on the 26th and said, “It will be very difficult to unite everyone, starting with Leader Jang and including Lee Jun-seok and Han Dong-hoon, but it has to be done.” He added, “Conservative politicians should regard unity as a duty and take responsibility.”
A major shift is also under way within the People Power Party. Party insiders, including lawmakers and party officials, say that the only factions currently in the party are a small group aligned with the party leadership and the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction, and that most lawmakers do not belong to any particular faction. Some expect lawmakers aligned with neither side to coalesce around Oh, a potential presidential candidate. Factional battles are expected to intensify once the field of candidates takes shape ahead of the party convention.
However, with Jang Dong-hyuk currently at the helm of the party and considerable opposition among hard-line supporters to Mayor Oh and lawmaker Han, there are calls for an “Oh-Han” alliance (Oh Se-hoon and Han Dong-hoon). Both are looking beyond the next party leadership contest toward the 2030 presidential race, albeit indirectly, while also serving as pillars of a “pan-conservative alliance.” An aide to Han said, “For now, we have no choice but to move forward together as partners in cooperation.” The aide predicted, “We’ll cooperate through the period around the general election, but won’t we become full-fledged rivals before the presidential election?”

[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter