Jung Won-oh and Oh Se-hoon hold final campaign press conferences
Jung: 'Seoul must support South Korea's leap forward'
Oh: 'Opposition fell short, but balance cannot be abandoned'
Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, said Tuesday that "the June 3 election is one that gives strength to the Lee Jae Myung government," adding that "Seoul must stand together to protect people's lives and help South Korea leap forward again." His rival, People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon, bowed his head and acknowledged that "the opposition fell short," while urging voters to "leave Seoul — the last line of defense — in our hands."
The two candidates each held a final press conference Tuesday, the day before the election, to deliver their closing messages to the public. Jung called on voters to support the Lee Jae Myung government, while Oh appealed for a vote to check the administration's power.
Jung held his press conference at the National Assembly alongside candidates for all 25 of Seoul's district mayor seats. "The Lee Jae Myung government must succeed," he said. "That means winning the Seoul mayoral race. It means winning all 25 district mayor races as well." He added that Jung and the Democratic Party's district mayor candidates needed to win together for the Lee government and Seoul to move as one team. "The government's changes must reach citizens' lives, livelihood policies must extend to every neighborhood alley, and the transformation of South Korea must become the transformation of Seoul," he said, urging voters to go to the polls Wednesday and support him and the party's 25 district mayor candidates.
Oh also held his final campaign press briefing Tuesday, near Hyochang Park station in Yongsan-gu. He opened with an apology, saying the opposition "fell short" and "failed to give a louder voice to public sentiment." "Our strength and effort were far too lacking to right the collapsed livelihoods of ordinary people," he said. "As someone who has long stood by the conservative party, I feel the weight of that responsibility deeply."
He argued, however, that the opposition's failures were no reason to abandon checks and balances altogether. "If you eliminate the very power to check authority simply because that check has been insufficient, the reason for those in power to remain humble — and to listen to the people — disappears along with it," he said.
Oh urged voters to "leave Seoul — the last line of defense — in our hands," appealing for them to go to the polls Wednesday so that "one last safety valve" remains to keep South Korea from tilting entirely to one side. Turning to Jung, he said his opponent was "far too inexperienced a driver to be entrusted with the capital Seoul — a city the world visits and admires," and added that he would not allow Seoul to become "a practice course for a novice driver." He also called on Jung to withdraw from the race immediately, saying he lacked both the qualifications and the preparation.
cook@heraldcorp.com
