Oh refuses to file for Seoul mayor primary

Mar 09, 2026, 10:04 am

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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon poses for a commemorative photo with lawmakers including Na Kyung-won during a policy forum on the Yongsan International Business District held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on March 6. / Yonhap

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon did not apply for the People Power Party (PPP) nomination for the Seoul mayoral race despite the party extending the registration deadline from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on March 8.

The move is widely seen as an unusual step, as incumbent mayors rarely give up the nomination process voluntarily in a key battleground such as Seoul. Observers say Oh is using the decision to pressure the party leadership to reconsider its political direction.

Earlier in the day, Oh’s office said in a statement that the mayor had already emphasized the need to “normalize the party’s direction” before entering the race.

“Oh has appealed that resolving the prerequisite task of normalizing the party’s direction can turn a path to defeat into a path to victory,” the statement said, adding that he is still waiting for responses from the party leadership and lawmakers.

His stance is interpreted as a demand that the PPP leadership, led by Jang Dong-hyuk, distance itself from former President Yoon Suk Yeol before he considers entering the mayoral primary. Oh has clashed with Jang in recent weeks over calls to reorganize the party’s direction, beginning with the issue surrounding former leader Han Dong-hoon.

On March 7, Oh also urged the party leadership to convene a full-scale debate among lawmakers before the nomination process proceeds.

“If the prerequisite task of normalizing the party’s direction is not resolved, what meaning would there be in candidate registration and a primary?” he said at the time.

Oh ultimately decided not to file his candidacy by the extended deadline, a decision that is expected to spark intense debate at an emergency PPP lawmakers’ meeting scheduled for March 9.

Lawmakers are expected to discuss not only the party’s political direction but also leadership responsibility surrounding Oh’s refusal to register as a candidate.

The PPP’s nomination management committee may consider extending the registration period again or launching an additional round of candidate recruitment.

The party previously conducted additional candidate recruitment during the 2022 local elections and the 22nd general election, and the committee held a closed-door meeting at party headquarters in Yeouido to discuss the issue.

If the party decides to reopen nominations following discussions at the lawmakers’ meeting, Oh could still enter the race later. His camp said he will remain unregistered while watching how the leadership responds.

However, many political observers believe it is unlikely that Jang’s leadership will significantly change the party’s direction. As a result, party leaders and the nomination committee are reportedly reviewing alternative candidates in case Oh ultimately declines to run.

Within the PPP, criticism of Jang’s leadership has intensified alongside calls to reopen the nomination process.

The Seoul chapter of the PPP described the situation as “an unprecedented emergency.” It warned that a mayoral primary without Oh — widely regarded as the party’s strongest and most experienced candidate — would effectively amount to abandoning the Seoul mayoral race.

The statement also blamed the party leadership for pushing a political line that diverges from public opinion and weakening the party’s support in Seoul.

Senior PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun also voiced concern, calling the situation “a serious political warning to the party.”

He noted that while candidate competition is intense in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the party is struggling to find candidates in the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions, highlighting broader challenges facing the party ahead of the local elections.

#Oh Se-hoon #People Power Party #Seoul mayor election #PPP leadership