Seoul lawmaker Seo Young-kyo enters mayoral race in ruling party

Jan. 15 (Asia Today) -- Seo Young-kyo, a lawmaker from South Korea's Democratic Party of Korea, announced Thursday she will run for mayor of Seoul, adding another contender to a growing field in the party's primary ahead of the June 3 local elections. At a news conference at the National Assembly's communications center, Seo said she would "go straight to the lives of citizens" and pledged to replace what she called Mayor Oh Se-hoon's approach to governing the capital. Seo introduced a campaign slogan she called "Seo Young-kyo Seoul Fast Track" and said she would revive momentum in the city. She criticized several projects promoted by the current city administration, including the Han River bus plan and redevelopment initiatives involving Jongmyo Shrine and the Sewoon Shopping Center area, calling them wasteful or tilted toward preferential development. Seo is the fourth Democratic Party figure to declare a bid, following lawmakers Park Hong-geun, Park Ju-min and Kim Young-bae. Related Korea deficit seen topping 111T won as spending outpaces tax Chung urges diplomacy to spur North Korea-U.S. talks Unification Ministry seeks control of research institute, staff wary Several other names have also been mentioned as possible entrants. Seongdong District Mayor Jeong Won-oh has drawn attention in party circles and opinion polling after receiving public praise from President Lee Jae-myung. Park Ju-min, a three-term lawmaker, has campaigned on an agenda focused on expanding opportunity and has criticized the city's decision to cut funding for Seoul's Traffic Broadcasting System, known as TBS. Lawmakers in Seoul also cite Jeon Hyun-hee as a potential contender. Former lawmakers Park Yong-jin and Hong Ik-pyo have also been mentioned, according to political observers. Democratic Party candidates are expected to focus their campaigns on holding Oh accountable and addressing cost-of-living issues, including disputes over TBS funding and frustration over housing policy, political analysts said. The party is expected to outline a preliminary screening process around the Lunar New Year holiday next month before moving into a full primary campaign. -- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI © Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Preview: ~344 words