Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun at Seoul City Hall on Friday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun at Seoul City Hall on Friday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Japan's leading daily Yomiuri Shimbun has spotlighted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon as a prominent political figure expected to lead the revival of South Korea's conservative camp, describing him as a potential presidential contender.

The newspaper conducted an interview with Oh at Seoul City Hall on Friday and published it in its print and online editions Saturday.

The paper described Seoul as "a political and economic hub of about 9.3 million people" and noted that the mayoral post offers a platform from which to mount a presidential bid on the strength of administrative achievements. It cited former President Lee Myung-bak, who rose from Seoul mayor to the presidency, as an illustration of Oh's political potential.

Yomiuri noted that Oh had criticized former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law from the outset and did not seek the backing of People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok — a close ally of Yoon — during the Seoul mayoral race.

The paper added that Oh is regarded, alongside former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon — who was expelled from the party in January after a falling-out with Jang and won a National Assembly by-election in June as an independent — as one of the leading figures expected to spearhead the conservative rebuild.

In the interview, Oh said former President Yoon had "pushed conservatism into crisis through a misguided political judgment," but added that "the public is not rejecting conservatism itself."

He outlined sincerity, inclusiveness and competence as the three conditions for a conservative revival, saying the movement must "reach out to society's most vulnerable and build a foundation for sustainable growth." He said conservatism "can give people hope again" if it demonstrates the ability to improve their quality of life through tangible results.

On the ruling party's push for a special prosecutor act to drop the indictment against President Lee Jae Myung, Oh said playing "a card that should never be played" would cost the party its political influence and "have a negative impact on the 2028 general election."

He identified policies for those left behind during South Korea's economic development and expanded housing supply as the top priorities of his new term. He said it was "urgent to swiftly supply quality housing to stabilize the real estate market."

On the Lee Jae Myung administration's real estate policy, Oh said he could not agree with measures to raise both property holding taxes and transaction taxes while sharply restricting mortgage lending, warning of side effects such as rising jeonse deposits and monthly rent.

Asked about the possibility of joining forces with independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok and others, Oh said he would "combine strength with those who share the same political vision."

On South Korea-Japan and South Korea-US-Japan relations, Oh said the Lee Jae Myung administration was "managing well the ties that were greatly improved under the Yoon administration," and called for close cooperation and communication between the two countries "not only at the national level but also between their capitals."

Founded in 1874, the Yomiuri Shimbun is Japan's largest-circulation newspaper, printing about 5.25 million copies a day. It is widely regarded as a conservative-leaning outlet with significant influence in Japanese political, government and business circles.


forest@heraldcorp.com