2026 Seoul Mayoral Race: Yoon Hee-sook Calls for More Candidate Verification Amidst Oh Se-hoon’s Late Entry

Translation result.

Yoon Hee-sook, the People Power Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor, welcomed Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s decision to register but said the party must give candidates more opportunities for vetting after his late entry into the race.

Yoon posted on her social media, “I welcome Mayor Oh’s decision to enter the primary.”

She accused Oh of framing his candidacy as a selfless act of “putting the party first,” despite having already pledged to run on the 9th and the 12th. She said his hesitation — weighing his options up until today — was surprising.

Yoon added that Oh’s calculations about personal advantage and disadvantage squandered ten valuable days of the primary calendar, and she said she expects a fiercely contested primary that will make up for the lost time.

She argued the party needs to provide more opportunities to scrutinize candidates before choosing its final Seoul mayoral nominee.

“Because the delayed candidate registration pushed back the primary schedule, we must secure sufficient time for the policy vetting that has been lacking,” she said. “We should guarantee more televised debates than the main opposition Democratic Party.”