Oh Se-hoon and Han Dong-hoon visit the National Assembly 30 minutes apart as conservative presidential hopefuls consolidate their forces

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon have moved to expand their support base across the broader opposition camp. A packed scene was also captured at their respective National Assembly forums, held 30 minutes apart on the same day, as People Power Party lawmakers visited to offer their encouragement. The move is seen as an effort by both Oh and Han, prominent conservative presidential hopefuls, to strengthen their influence in the legislature by expanding their contacts with People Power Party lawmakers.
Mayor Oh attended a policy forum titled “World Heritage Preservation and the Future of Cities: Finding a Path to Coexistence” at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building at 10 a.m. on the 3rd. The forum, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the People Power Party’s Seoul City Chapter, was held to discuss the redevelopment project in Sewoon District 4.
After the forum, Mayor Oh told reporters that a broad conservative alliance, including Han, was necessary. He said unity was essential to defeating the government and the ruling party in the 2028 general election and the 2030 presidential election. “We need to create an atmosphere in which the party can bring everyone together,” he said. “I told [Rep. Han] that I thought it would be good to meet sometime soon. I will seek reconciliation and unity through candid conversations with anyone, including Han.”
Around 30 incumbent lawmakers appeared at the event, regardless of faction. Lawmakers Jo Eun-hee, Kwon Young-jin and Kim Jae-seop, who are considered aligned with Oh, attended, along with Kwon Young-se, Na Kyung-won, Kim Gi-hyeon and Sung Il-jong, formerly considered aligned with Yoon Suk Yeol, and Park Jeong-ha and Han Ji-a, who are aligned with Han. The unexpected appearance of party leader Jang Dong-hyeok stood out. Mayor Oh had clashed with Jang during the June 3 local elections, but the appearance seems to reflect the fact that Oh has recently been calling for a grand conservative unity that would include Jang.
Mayor Oh appears to be building his political influence after being acquitted on appeal in the case involving allegations of proxy payment of Myeong Tae-gyun’s polling costs. Given his distance from national politics as head of Seoul’s administration, the move is seen as an effort to visit the National Assembly regularly and expand his political base. Lawmakers within the party also appear to be responding and coordinating with him, as they see Mayor Oh emerging as a prominent presidential hopeful.
Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also held a forum titled “Party Reform: What Should Be Done, and How?” at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building at 9:30 a.m., together with five-term veteran lawmakers Kim Gi-hyeon and Yoon Sang-hyun. About 20 lawmakers attended, including Kim Hyeong-dong, Bae Hyun-jin, Park Jeong-ha, Park Jung-hoon and Woo Jae-jun, who are aligned with Han.
Some also called for conservative unity, including the so-called “Oh-Dong-seok alliance” of Oh Se-hoon, Han Dong-hoon and Lee Jun-seok. Rep. Kim said, “Our role is growing as we work to end South Korea’s irrational era through a general election victory and build a country where a normal political system functions, pursuing addition and multiplication politics rather than subtraction politics.” Rep. Yoon urged, “We need to build a big conservative tent to win. Since creating that is the task of leaders and politicians, I hope Leader Jang will exercise the leadership to open a platform for conservative unity.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Han argued that the system should be reformed so that public sentiment is reflected in party management. In distinguishing himself from Leader Jang, who has made “a party centered on its members” his banner, Han stressed that the party must not become detached from public sentiment. “Parties that receive state subsidies should be required by law to use a bottom-up nomination process,” Han said. “If the system nominates candidates who can win for the sake of the party’s victory and the people’s victory, then it does not matter who joins the party or who takes the party leadership.”
The so-called “Hoon-Hoon alliance” of Oh Se-hoon and Han Dong-hoon is expected to sketch out a conservative alliance through an official meeting before long. Both sides have reservations about and oppose each other, but they share the view that they need to cooperate for conservative unity. However, they are reportedly considering the timing and format that could maximize the benefits of working together.
There are also pessimistic views of the Hoon-Hoon alliance. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok distanced himself from calls for conservative unity, saying, “An alliance for unity is ultimately a matter for party members to decide.” Jang said the process of unification could deepen divisions and expressed his intention to follow the wishes of party members. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo also discussed the Hoon-Hoon alliance on the Maeil Shinmun YouTube channel on the 2nd, saying, “It won’t last long and will disappear.” He criticized the idea, saying, “If you single out one person and say this person should rejoin the party, some will agree and others will oppose it. That will only deepen discord and conflict, and even the conservative unity that could have been achieved will fail.”

[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter