Oh Se-hoon Is Opposition Bloc's Final Candidate for Seoul’s By-election

Oh Se-hoon, a former Seoul mayor, is the final opposition bloc candidate to run for Seoul mayoral by-election next month. The decision came after he won on Tuesday morning in the two-way race against another opposition candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, an entrepreneur turned politician.

The two parties previously agreed to conduct a survey among Seoul residents and that the result would determine who will run for Seoul mayor to represent the opposition bloc.

The decision was based on the survey conducted to around 3,200 people by two separate pollsters on Monday, March 23.

The former mayor had thanked Ahn Cheol-soo and stressed that he would pave the way in bringing the immoral and incompetent administration to judgment, he said in a statement during the Tuesday morning press conference.

Both parties decided on this when opinion polls found that either Oh and Ahn could possibly win against the ruling Park Young-sun from Democratic Party in a two-way race, but the chances could be thinner when it's done in a three-way race.

The winner of the by-election on April 7 will be serving the city for the remaining 14 months of the four-year term of Park Won-soon, Seoul's late former mayor.

Park Won-soon died in July last year, apparently of suicide. Just two days after, his former secretary filed sexual harassment complaints against him.

Oh Se-hoon is popular among the traditional support base of PPP's conservatives and people from ages 50 years and older. He is now tasked to gain the support of people who preferred Ahn Cheol-soo, who are predominantly younger voters.

Oh is a former lawyer and lawmaker, he had also served the city as mayor from 2006 before he quit after a year during his second term in his office in 2011, after losing a free school lunch program plebiscite.

The official campaign period will begin on March 25 for the April 7 Seoul's by-election.