Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate whose victory as Seoul mayor in the June 3 local elections has been virtually confirmed, offers greetings before entering Seoul City Hall on the 4th. [Yonhap News]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has pointed to President Lee Jae-myung’s responsibility regarding the ballot shortage issue that arose during the June 3 local elections.

Appearing on TV Chosun's News 9 on the evening of the 5th, Mayor Oh stated, "It is truly something that should never have happened," in response to a question about the ballot shortage in this election, emphasizing, "The President must also feel a great sense of responsibility."

Previously, on the 4th, Mayor Oh had directly targeted the President while announcing his election victory in front of Seoul City Hall, saying the ballot shortage was "truly deplorable" and that "the President cannot escape responsibility for this matter either."

At the time, Mayor Oh said, "It's currently shaped as if the election commission must take responsibility for everything, but ultimately, it is the President's responsibility. I urge fundamental reform."

People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon, whose victory as Seoul mayor in the June 3 local elections has been virtually confirmed, receives a bouquet of flowers after his announcement at his election office, set up in the Daewang Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 4th, the day after the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections. [Yonhap News]

Mayor Oh reiterated his intention to convey public sentiment directly to the President by attending a State Council meeting after the start of his new term.

In the TV Chosun interview, he said, "If given a separate opportunity, not necessarily at a State Council meeting, I would like to meet with the President and convey public sentiment. The biggest issue right now is rent and jeonse. If the current policies are maintained, I believe a greater disaster, a real estate tragedy, will occur within the next one to two years. I want to have a sincere conversation about this and urge a change in direction."

Mayor Oh also mentioned that he had called Jang Dong-hyuk, the representative of the People Power Party, to express his gratitude.

When asked about the situation where the Democratic Party has secured more than two-thirds of the Seoul City Council, making it difficult to carry out city administration, he stated, "That is also the voters' choice and will, so I will embrace it and move towards cooperation."

Regarding whether he is considering a presidential bid, he responded, "I don't think it's the right time to be thinking about that. As a five-term Seoul Mayor, I want to run without hesitation to elevate Seoul's quality of life and urban competitiveness to the global top three."