Oh Se-hoon ( Korean: 오세훈,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 吳世勳; born January 4, 1961) is a South Korean politician who is currently the serving

Mayor of Seoul The Mayor of Seoul () is the chief executive of Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul being the capital and largest city of South Korea. The position is historically one of the most powerful in the country, charged with managing an annual budg ...

since 8 April 2021. He also previously served as a member of the

National Assembly of South Korea The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years ...

from 2000 to 2004, and the mayor of Seoul from 2006 to 2011. Oh is a lawyer by profession.

Personal history

Oh was born in Seongdong-gu,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. He graduated from Daeil High School and went on to study at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He graduated from

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities. Th ...

's School of Law and became a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

. In 2000, Oh was elected as a member of the 16th

. On July 1, 2006, Oh began his first term as the mayor of Seoul. Oh was reelected for his second term in 2010 and is the expected winner of the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election. Oh had spent time in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

as a fellow at the Graduate School of Social Science and Public Policy at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, focusing on major cities around the world seeking ways to create jobs and help promote economic growth. In the 21st parliamentary election at Gwang-jin district, he lost to Ko Min-jung who is a political rookie. He is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and his baptism name is Stephen.

Conduct

Arts

Oh was involved with the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, participating in a celebration video for the organization alongside foundation chairman Park Bum-Shin and Seoul Arts Director Ahn Eun-Mi.

DDP

Dongdaemun Design Plaza The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, abbreviated as DDP, is a major urban development landmark in Seoul, South Korea, designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo, with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the "powerful, curving forms of elongated ...

was constructed during his tenure.

LGBTQ rights

When asked about the Seoul Queer Culture Festival during the 2021 Seoul mayoral race, Oh has stated that, "In a broader spectrum, the principle is that the rights of minorities, including sexual minorities, must be protected and there should be no discrimination." He further went on to say, "I think the debate was on the queer festival being held in the central area near

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

and

Gwanghwamun Plaza Gwanghwamun Plaza (, also known as Gwanghwamun Square) is a public open space on Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The plaza was opened on 1 August 2009 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and is part of the City's plans for environment ...

, and the city of Seoul has a special committee to make a decision, and there are rules to that as well."

Seoul City Water Project

Although most Seoul residents choose to drink bottled mineral water, it has been reported that Oh Se-hoon not only vouches for, but drinks the city tap water. Encouraging Seoul residents to drink

tap water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

and reduce dependence on

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to lar ...

, as well as publicizing the cleanliness of Seoul tap-water has been a pet project for Oh. Seoul City has recently put forward new regulations on tap-water and the focus has gone from not just safe water but water that tastes great.

WikiLeaks

In a document released by

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...

, it was reported that in Oh's discussion with Alexander Vershbow in 2006 he stated that a merger between the Grand National Party and the Democratic Party would be beneficial to the GNP.

Electoral history

Writings

* ''가끔은 변호사도 울고싶다'' (''When a Lawyer Wants to Cry'') by Oh Se-hoon (Myeongjin Publishing, October 1995) * ''우리는 실패에서 희망을 본다 '' (''Failure Offers Seeds of Hope'') by Kang Won-taek, Kim Ho-ghi, Oh Se-hoon, and Lee Young-jo (Hwanggeumgaji Publishing, August 2005)

References

External links

이명박+오세훈은? "소비에트식 콘크리트 아파트!"
Korean editorial article critical of Oh's and

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the m ...

's urban and environmental policies , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Oh, Se-hoon 1961 births Living people People from Seoul Haeju Oh clan South Korean Roman Catholics Korea University alumni 20th-century South Korean lawyers 21st-century South Korean lawyers Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) Liberty Korea Party politicians People Power Party (South Korea) politicians Mayors of Seoul 20th-century South Korean politicians 21st-century South Korean politicians