Oh Se-hoon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oh Se-hoon
오세훈
Official portrait, 2024
Mayor of Seoul
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 April 2021
Preceded by	Park Won-soon
In office 1 July 2006 – 26 August 2011
Preceded by	Lee Myung-bak
Succeeded by	Park Won-soon
Member of the National Assembly
In office 30 May 2000 – 29 May 2004
Preceded by	Hong Sa-duk
Succeeded by	Gong Sung-jin
Constituency	Gangnam 2nd (Seoul)
Personal details
Born	(1961-01-04) 4 January 1961 (age 64) Seongdong District, Seoul, South Korea
Political party	People Power
Other political affiliations	Bareun Party (2017–2018) Liberty Korea Party (2000–2017, 2018–2020)
Spouse	Song Hyeon-ok
Children	2
Alma mater	Korea University (LLB)
Profession	Politician lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic (Christian name: Stephen)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	South Korea
Branch/service	Republic of Korea Army Army Security Command
Years of service	1988–1991
Rank	Jungwi (First Lieutenant)
Korean name
Hangul	오세훈
Hanja	吳世勳
Revised Romanization	O Sehun
McCune–Reischauer	O Sehun

Oh Se-hoon (Hangul: 오세훈; born 4 January 1961) is a South Korean politician. He is currently the Mayor of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. He has served as mayor twice: first from 2006 to 2011, and again since 2021. Before becoming mayor, he was also a member of the country's main law-making body, the National Assembly, from 2000 to 2004. Oh Se-hoon is a member of the People Power Party (PPP) and worked as a lawyer before entering politics.

Early Life and Career

Oh Se-hoon was born in Seongdong District, Seoul, on January 4, 1961. He went to Daeil High School. Later, he studied at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies before transferring to Korea University's School of Law.

After finishing his law studies, he passed the bar exam and started working as an attorney. In 1994, he became well-known to the public after appearing on a popular TV show called Lawyer Oh and Lawyer Bae. He is also a Catholic, and his baptismal name is Stephen.

Political Journey

Oh Se-hoon's political career began in 2000.

First Term as Mayor of Seoul (2006–2011)

On July 1, 2006, Oh Se-hoon started his first term as the Mayor of Seoul. He was re-elected for a second term in 2010. However, he resigned in 2011. This happened after his idea for a "free lunch referendum" was not accepted by the public.

During his time as mayor, he supported the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. He even appeared in a video celebrating the organization.

After His First Mayoralty

In 2012, Oh Se-hoon spent some time in London, United Kingdom. He was a fellow at King's College London. There, he studied how major cities around the world create jobs and help their economies grow.

In the 2020 national election, he ran for a seat in the parliament but lost to a new politician named Ko Min-jung.

Current Term as Mayor of Seoul (2021–Present)

In 2021, Oh Se-hoon won the primary election for the People Power Party. This made him the party's candidate for the special Seoul mayoral election that year. He then won the main election, beating his opponent with 57.5 percent of the votes.

He started his third term as Mayor of Seoul on April 8, 2021. In September 2023, he met with New York City mayor Eric Adams in Manhattan. They discussed ways to make the cultural and economic ties between Seoul and New York City stronger. This was his first official trip representing Seoul during a United Nations General Assembly meeting.

The famous Dongdaemun Design Plaza was built during his time as mayor.

Seoul's Water Initiatives

Oh Se-hoon has been a big supporter of Seoul's tap water. Even though many people in Seoul drink bottled water, he encourages residents to drink the city's tap water. He wants to show that Seoul's tap water is clean and tastes good.

From 2006 to 2011, he announced a plan to make Seoul a "city of water." He started the Han River Renaissance project. This project built bike paths along the river and created the Sebitseom floating islands near Banpo Bridge.

Because he started so many water-related projects, he earned the nickname "Oseidon." This name combines his last name, Oh, with Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. This nickname became popular when severe floods happened in Seoul in 2011, 2022, and 2023.

Views on Important Issues

LGBTQ Rights

When asked about the Seoul Queer Culture Festival during the 2021 Seoul mayoral election, Oh Se-hoon said that "the rights of minorities, including sexual minorities, must be protected and there should be no discrimination." He also mentioned that the city has a special committee to decide where such festivals can be held.

Nuclear Weapons

Oh Se-hoon believes that South Korea should have its own nuclear weapons. He thinks this would help the country counter North Korea. In March 2023, he told Reuters that it's "difficult to convince people" that South Korea should not develop nuclear weapons.

Election Results

Books Written

• 가끔은 변호사도 울고싶다 (When a Lawyer Wants to Cry) by Oh Se-hoon (Myeongjin Publishing, October 1995) ISBN: 89-7677-030-7
• 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) ISBN: 89-8273-930-0

See also

In Spanish: Oh Se-hoon para niños