[Anchor]
The Democratic Party has confirmed Jung Won‑oh, widely regarded as President Lee Jae‑myung’s “top pick,” as its candidate for Seoul mayor.
Immediately after his nomination, Jung vowed to complete the Lee administration’s agenda in Seoul.
Reporting: Yoon Sol.
[Reporter]
“It seems Mayor Jung Won‑oh must be doing something right.”
Late last year, President Lee Jae‑myung cited a report on satisfaction with district administration in a social media post. Soon after, former Seongdong District Mayor Jung Won‑oh surged as a frontrunner for the Seoul mayoralty.
Jung entered the party’s mayoral primary and has now been officially confirmed as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Seoul mayor.
「So Byung‑hoon / Chair, Democratic Party Central Election Management Committee」 I declare that candidate No. 3, Jung Won‑oh, has been selected as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Seoul mayor in the 9th nationwide local elections.
Jung secured a majority in the final primary, which weighed party-member votes and public opinion polls equally (50% each), surpassing incumbent lawmaker Park Joo‑min and former official Jeon Hyun‑hee.
His two rivals mounted last‑minute attacks over issues including Jung’s poll‑related campaign materials and a controversial remark comparing Oh Se‑hoon and Park Won‑soon, but Jung prevailed.
Upon confirmation, Jung issued a statement calling his selection a stern mandate to win Seoul, urged unity—saying “we are now one”—and emphasized the need for a “one team” approach.
He pledged to make Seoul a city where taxes are well spent and where people want to live, vowing to hold Oh Se‑hoon accountable for what he called “ten years of incompetence” and to complete the Lee administration’s work in Seoul.
Jung entered politics in 2000 as a parliamentary aide to Im Jong‑seok. He was elected Seongdong district mayor in 2014 as a member of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the predecessor to the current Democratic Party, and has won re‑election since.
In the 2022 local elections, he became the only district mayor in Seoul to secure a third term.
Jung will now face the People Power Party’s nominee in the main election.
The People Power Party is holding a primary among incumbent Mayor Oh Se‑hoon, lawmaker Park Soo‑min and former lawmaker Yoon Hee‑sook, and will name its candidate on the 18th.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic Party’s Busan mayoral primary, lawmaker Jeon Jae‑soo defeated Lee Jae‑sung to become the party’s nominee.
This is Yoon Sol for Yonhap News TV.
[Video reporters: Kim Seong‑su, Park Tae‑beom, Kim Sang‑hoon, Hong Su‑ho]
[Video editing: Yoon Hyun‑jung]
[Graphics: Jeon Hae‑ri]
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Yoon Sol (solemio@yna.co.kr)
