Oh Se-hoon: “Han Dong-hoon’s return to the party is essential for winning the general election ... party consensus must come first”

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on the 11th that Han Dong-hoon’s return to the People Power Party was “essential for winning the general election.” However, he stressed that the move must not lead to further intraparty conflict, emphasizing the need to first build consensus within the party and for Han himself to address certain matters beforehand.
That day, Oh posted on Facebook a piece titled “The people must be the purpose of unity and the direction of change,” stating, “I believe Han’s return to the party is essential for winning the general election.”
He stressed, “The issue of returning to the party must not become another source of intraparty conflict,” adding, “A consensus that party members can readily accept must be formed first.”
He continued, “This is not a matter of whether people like or dislike a particular individual, but a minimum principle for the party’s unity and victory,” adding, “To that end, Han himself also has something he must address first.” The remarks were seen as calling on Han to play a role in resolving intraparty conflict while expressing agreement that he should return to the party.
Oh also raised the need for a sweeping overhaul of the People Power Party. “It is true that many people are deeply concerned about whether the party, in its current state, can firmly win over public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area,” he said, noting, “These concerns have persisted since before the last local elections.”
On the recent rise in support for the People Power Party, he also stressed, “A large part of it reflects, temporarily in public opinion, the party’s windfall from policy failures by the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party,” adding, “We must change if we are to fully restore public trust and win firm support from moderates, people in the Seoul metropolitan area, and young people.”
He also left open the possibility of changing the party’s leadership structure. “There should be no sacred cows or limits on how we bring about change if we are to win over public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area,” Oh said. “We should keep every option open if it can demonstrate to the public that the party is renewing itself.”
In particular, he said, “A shift to an emergency committee system before the party convention is one such option,” adding, “As the general election draws closer, intense discussions within the party will naturally lead to a collective consensus on the best path to victory.”
Oh also made clear that unity for victory in the 2028 general election should take priority over intraparty power struggles.
“What matters now is not who joins hands with whom or who takes control of the party,” he said. “It is how the People Power Party can change and unite to regain the public’s trust and win the 2028 general election.”
He added, “I will not be preoccupied with individual interests or disputes in politics. As mayor of Seoul, I will devote all my efforts to making Seoul the world’s greatest city, while also fulfilling the mission entrusted to me to fully embody a form of conservatism that can be chosen by the public again.”
[email protected] Lee Seol-yeong Reporter