PPP reopens Seoul mayor nomination as Oh weighs bid

Mar 12, 2026, 08:30 am

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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon delivers a speech at the “2026 Seoul Outstanding Taxpayer Awards Ceremony” held at Seoul City Hall on March 11. /Yonhap News

The People Power Party (PPP) has reopened its nomination process for the Seoul mayoral race ahead of the June 3 local elections, renewing attention on whether Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will enter the contest.

The move comes after the party adopted a resolution declaring a break with former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Oh welcomed the decision, saying it created “a minimum foundation to take part in the election,” but stressed that further reforms are still needed.

Lee Jung-hyun, chair of the PPP’s nomination management committee, announced March 11 that the party would accept additional applications for the Seoul mayor and South Chungcheong governor races.

“Seoul and South Chungcheong are regions with enormous symbolic and electoral significance,” Lee said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.

“The committee judged that it is necessary to create a structure with sufficient competition and verification that meets the public’s expectations and expands voters’ choices,” he added.

The PPP issued a notice for additional applications the same day and plans to accept submissions on March 12, followed by candidate interviews on March 13.

Lee also emphasized that the rights of candidates who had already submitted applications would be respected and that the review process would proceed fairly under the party’s principles and standards.

The additional recruitment is widely seen as leaving open the possibility of Oh’s candidacy. Oh had previously declined to submit an application by the original deadline, urging the party leadership to pursue reforms and change its political direction.

He has repeatedly argued that the party must clearly redefine its relationship with former President Yoon in order to remain competitive in the capital region during the upcoming elections.

In a social media post titled “The Public Is Waiting for Action,” Oh welcomed the party’s resolution declaring a break with Yoon.

“I am grateful for the lawmakers’ decision,” he wrote. “The resolution clearly marks the beginning of the right kind of change.”

However, he stressed that the declaration alone would not be enough.

“It must not end as a mere statement. What the public is waiting for is visible change. Only then can candidates in the capital region move toward victory,” Oh said.

Oh also urged the party leadership to implement concrete reforms, noting that lawmakers had presented the direction the party should take but that the responsibility for action now rests with the leadership.

Earlier, after PPP lawmakers adopted a resolution apologizing for the Dec. 3 martial law declaration and rejecting so-called “Yoon Again” supporters, Oh described the move as “a meaningful start to change” and “the minimum foundation to enter the election.”

Still, Oh’s camp maintains that additional steps — including personnel reforms and the formation of an innovation-focused election committee — must follow before he decides whether to formally seek the party’s nomination.

#Oh Se-hoon #Seoul mayor #People Power Party #PPP nomination #Seoul mayoral race