Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced on the 9th that he is in discussion with the Seoul Medical Association and others with the goal of operating a total of 500 hospitals and clinics in the city during the Chuseok holidays.
Mayor Oh appeared on CBS’s Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show that day and said, “At least the Seoul Medical Association is quite cooperative, so we are currently making considerable progress.”
Regarding the legislative conflict surrounding the increase in medical school enrollment, Mayor Oh said, “I hope that medical groups will participate in the ruling and opposition party’s upcoming legislative session to open the door to discussion,” and “The 2026 enrollment plan needs to be reviewed from the beginning before discussions can begin.”
He continued, “It may be realistically difficult to replace the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare right away, but we need to show some flexibility in order to have the Korean Medical Association participate in the ruling and opposition party’s legislative discussions.” He added, “I think the Vice Minister’s consideration of his own course of action could be an opportunity for the Korean Medical Association to participate on its own.”
Medical groups are demanding the cancellation of plans to increase staff in 2026 and next year as well as the replacement of those who led the increase, including the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, as a prerequisite for participation in the ruling and opposition party’s legislative session.
Oh Se-hoon analyzed the Democratic Party’s claim of “martial law preparations” by saying, “Since they are aiming for impeachment, there may be an aspect of them claiming martial law preparations in an attempt to block all possible scenarios in advance.” He also said, “The fact that they keep repeating such extreme claims indicates a strategic goal of driving the political situation into a political strife.”
He said, “Extreme claims such as impeachment, martial law, and special prosecution have become too common,” and added, “The people should look at these crazy instigations from both extremes with a stern eye. If they are swayed by them, it will probably be funny (for those making the claims).”
Oh Se-hoon also criticized the Democratic Party for citing President Yoon Seok-yeol’s statement that he would “finish anti-state forces” as evidence for the martial law theory, saying, “I think it’s going too far.”
Regarding the political circle’s call for the revival of the local party, he said, “If the system is changed, no accidents will occur for two to three years, but if the system continues for five or ten years, the old ways of the past will repeat themselves,” adding, “I think it is regressive, so I hope the political circle will reconsider.”
Oh also mentioned that in a recent opinion poll, he and Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, received the same approval rating in a one-on-one matchup with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.
He said, “When I was elected as the mayor of Seoul, I was in fourth place even two months before the by-election, and during the last presidential election, just two years ago, President Yoon Seok-yeol wasn’t even a subject of the poll and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon was in first place,” adding, “I don’t put much meaning into opinion polls two to three years before the presidential election.”
He added, “But I’m really grateful that everyone loves and likes me.”
Regarding Representative Lee Jae-myung’s high approval rating, he analyzed, “He appears in the media every day, and the Democratic Party is well-united,” and “The current government is carrying out reforms such as pension reform and healthcare reform that are helpful to the country’s finances but are not popular, and this is also reflected in the approval rating.”
He also said, “If this representative shows reasonable policy moves targeting the middle class as he has been doing recently, I think his popularity will continue.”
Mayor Oh said about the Han River Bus project, which was recently questioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Council, “Ship building is a strict process in which the government inspects every step of the process and verifies safety before moving on to the next step.” He added, “It has been pointed out that ship building companies lack experience, but the industry itself is full of small businesses.”
He continued, “The hybrid engine is manufactured by a separate specialized company,” and emphasized, “There will be no problems at all with operation in March next year.”
He also said, “We are conducting a flexible contest with the idea that we may or may not use the Taegeukgi flag in the national symbol space of Gwanghwamun Square,” and “The important thing is to express gratitude to the countries that participated in the Korean War.”
Regarding the recently started construction of the Namsan Gondola, he said, “We have completed discussions with environmental groups and will use all profits to save the Namsan ecosystem,” adding, “Riding the gondola may have less of an environmental impact than having many citizens walk up the section.”
Photo by Reporter Kim Jeong-hyeon, provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government
.
2024-09-10 22:07:35