{"id":2200408,"date":"2023-03-15T19:16:42","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T10:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2200408"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:07:56","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:07:56","slug":"why-the-mayor-of-seoul-a-municipal-leader-is-calling-for-nuclear-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/03\/why-the-mayor-of-seoul-a-municipal-leader-is-calling-for-nuclear-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the mayor of Seoul, a municipal leader, is calling for nuclear weapons"},"content":{"rendered":"
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon endorsed the idea that South Korea should acquire its own nuclear weapons to bolster defenses against North Korea this week, even at the risk of <\/span>international repercussions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Oh\u2019s comments in an <\/span>interview<\/span><\/a> with <\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/i> were not the first time he has argued for the ROK\u2019s nuclear armament, but they were his most explicit to date and added <\/span>fuel to the fire of a debate<\/span><\/a> that President Yoon Suk-yeol began<\/a> earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n While it may seem odd that the leader of a municipal government is so vocal about nuclear arms, Oh is a likely candidate for South Korea\u2019s presidential race in 2027 and holds an office with outsized influence in ROK politics. And in the coming months and years, he is likely to push public discourse further in the direction of acquiring the bomb.<\/span><\/p>\n MAYOR OF SEOUL<\/b><\/p>\n About <\/span>9.6 million<\/span><\/a> people reside in Seoul, roughly a fifth of the country\u2019s population. An <\/span>OECD study<\/span><\/a> from 2018 showed that Seoul\u2019s contribution to South Korea\u2019s gross domestic product (GDP) \u2014 49.4% \u2014 was the highest of any capital city in a developed nation. The OECD median was 26.7%.<\/span><\/p>\n The sheer size of the city and the political weight of the mayor\u2019s office allow the Seoul mayor to be treated as a ministerial-level official and <\/span>attend presidential cabinet meetings<\/span><\/a>. It is, therefore, not an exaggeration when the Seoul mayor is unofficially referred to as the second president.<\/span><\/p>\n A <\/span>Gallup Korea poll<\/span><\/a> from earlier this month also found that among the likely conservative candidates who will run for president in 2027, Oh came in third with 11%. The top two candidates were Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon (30%) and Daegu mayor and former People Power Party (PPP) leader Hong Jun-pyo (16%).<\/span><\/p>\n Oh does not lead in the polls, but he has plenty of time to improve his poll numbers before the next election. His office has already announced significant public work projects such as the <\/span>Great Han River Project Plan<\/span><\/a>, which would lead to sweeping changes to Seoul\u2019s riverscape, and building the <\/span>world\u2019s second-largest Ferris wheel<\/span><\/a> along the river.<\/span><\/p>\n He has also pledged to <\/span>cut taxes<\/span><\/a> for foreign firms to turn Seoul\u2019s Yeouido district into an international financial hub and has taken on the unpleasant but vital task of <\/span>reforming<\/span><\/a> how the city\u2019s public transportation is run.<\/span><\/p>\n Since assuming office in <\/span>2021<\/span><\/a>, he has burnished his conservative credentials by pursuing <\/span>deregulatory<\/span><\/a> economic policies. Among his more high-profile deregulatory measures, Oh scrapped the city\u2019s building height limit, allowing construction companies to erect residential structures exceeding 35 floors. This move is expected to increase housing, thus spurring this vital sector, and prompt the redevelopment of older neighborhoods in Seoul.<\/span><\/p>\n And since the ruling PPP has <\/span>majority control<\/span><\/a> of the city council, Oh will have few obstacles to implementing his agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n