Oh Se-hoon: “Han Dong-hoon’s return to the People Power Party is essential to winning the general election”; an emergency committee is also an option

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon publicly stressed on the 11th that “Rep. Han Dong-hoon’s return to the People Power Party is essential to winning the general election,” underscoring the need for Han to rejoin the party. He lent support to calls for party reform, judging that it would be difficult to contest the 2028 general election under current leader Jang Dong-hyeok, while also leaving open the possibility of switching to an emergency committee system before the party convention.
Oh said on Facebook that “many people have deep concerns about whether the People Power Party, as it stands, can firmly win over public opinion in the Seoul metropolitan area,” adding that “we must change if we are to fully regain the public’s trust and win firm support from moderates, the Seoul metropolitan area and young people.”
Oh stressed in particular that “there should be no sacred cows or limits on how we pursue change in order to win over voters in the Seoul metropolitan area,” adding that “we should keep every option open if it can demonstrate the party’s renewal to the public.” He said, “A transition to an emergency committee system before the party convention is one such option.”
Earlier, in a media interview released that day, Oh also said, “If the general election is contested under Jang Dong-hyeok’s leadership, the election in the Seoul metropolitan area will be extremely difficult,” raising the possibility of a transition to an emergency committee. Party leader Jang countered, “This can only be interpreted as reflecting some other political motive, rather than a genuine desire to win the general election or to serve the People Power Party.” The two, who had recently appeared to be growing closer through their opposition to the government, have once again clashed head-on over the party’s leadership structure.
Oh took a more unequivocal position on Han’s return to the party. He said, “I believe Han’s return is essential to winning the general election,” while adding that “the issue of his return must not become a new source of conflict within the party.” He continued, “A consensus that party members can readily accept must be formed first,” adding that “Han himself also has matters he must resolve first.”
This goes a step further than the cautious stance Oh took on the 6th, when he said Han’s return to the party was “an issue that had to be handled with great care.” At the time, Oh made the formation of consensus among most party members a precondition for Han’s return. Within the party, calls for Han to return early continue, led by the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction and some senior lawmakers, including Reps. Kim Tae-ho and Yoon Sang-hyun. Meanwhile, voices within the party leadership oppose his return before next year’s party convention.
Oh stressed, “What matters now is not who joins forces with whom or who takes control of the party, but how the People Power Party can change and unite, regain the public’s trust, and win the 2028 general election.” He added, “I will also fulfill the mission entrusted to me to fully shape a conservative vision that the public can choose once again.”

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter