Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin Visits Vietnam, Urges Push Into New Businesses Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin chose Vietnam for his first overseas on-site management trip of the year, checking major operations and calling for expansion into new businesses while meeting local officials to discuss future growth. Lotte Group said on the 26th that Shin visited Hanoi from the 21st to the 24th and toured key sites including Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi and Lotte Center Hanoi. On the 23rd, he visited Lotte Mall West Lake, received briefings on the performance of major Lotte affiliates operating in Vietnam — including Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart and Lotte Hotel — and inspected the facilities. Lotte Mall West Lake, which officially opened in September 2023, is a large-scale mixed-use mall that brings together the group’s core capabilities. Cumulative visitors topped 30 million through last month, and cumulative sales reached 600 billion won as of the end of last year. The group expects it to enter the “1 trillion won sales club” within the year. After touring the site, Shin said Vietnam is a key country for the group’s global business and called the continued growth of its core businesses, including food and retail, “very encouraging.” He urged the company to further strengthen competitiveness in existing businesses while also focusing on new areas such as advanced urban development, eco-friendly materials and advanced logistics. Shin also visited a promotional zone at the mall for “Cau Thu Nhi,” a youth soccer entertainment program Lotte has co-produced with Vietnam’s state broadcaster VTV since 2011. The show, which focuses on discovering and developing young soccer talent, has been popular locally. Shin met Kim Sang-sik, head coach of Vietnam’s national soccer team, wished the team success and expressed support for developing prospects. During the trip, Shin also stepped up engagement with senior Vietnamese figures. On the 22nd, he held a series of meetings with Vu Dai Thang, chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, and To An Xo, a party secretary and aide to the state president, among others. Shin shared Lotte’s investment results over more than 30 years since entering Vietnam and said the group would pursue various urban development plans centered on its strengths to contribute to Hanoi’s development. Shin also attended official events tied to President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam, including a state banquet and a business forum. He previously led an economic delegation to Indonesia in April last year to seek expanded cooperation between companies in the two countries, and in March he took part in an economic delegation to the Philippines. 2026-04-26 09:57:20 -
Academics warn Samsung strike could drive customers away and disrupt supply chain With a Samsung Electronics union warning it may strike next month, an academic has cautioned that the bigger risk may be not the immediate production hit but the possibility that global customers shift orders and reshape supply chains. According to industry officials on the 26th, Song Heon-jae, a professor in the economics department at the University of Seoul, presented the analysis in a recent seminar held by the Anmin Policy Forum under the topic “The ripple effects of a Samsung Electronics union strike.” The Anmin Policy Forum is a private policy research forum chaired by Yoo Il-ho. Song estimated that if semiconductor fabs stop running, losses could reach tens of billions of won per minute, or about 1 trillion won per day. If a strike drags on, he said, the decline in operating profit in the semiconductor business could widen to as much as 10 trillion won. He said the more serious issue is weakened customer confidence and the risk of losing clients. Global big tech companies could diversify supply to competitors such as TSMC to reduce supply-chain risk, he said. “The semiconductor industry is structured so that process qualification requires enormous time and cost,” Song said. “Once a customer leaves the supply chain, it is not easy to bring them back.” Major global companies, he said, treat supply stability as a core evaluation standard. AMD reflects supply-chain resilience in ESG assessments, and NVIDIA is known to use supplier evaluation results when allocating volumes. Song divided strike-related costs into “visible costs,” such as halted production and lost sales, and “invisible costs,” such as eroded trust, delayed investment and shocks to the industrial ecosystem. He said the latter could weaken market standing and undermine industrial competitiveness. He listed key risks as weakened customer trust, permanent loss of market share, delays in AI semiconductor competition, an outflow of key talent and a deepening “Korea discount.” He also said a strike could ripple through suppliers and local economies. About 1,700 materials, parts and equipment suppliers that do business with Samsung Electronics could be affected directly or indirectly, and a production halt at the Pyeongtaek campus could add pressure on jobs and nearby businesses. Song pointed to opaque performance-bonus criteria and information asymmetry as factors behind the dispute. He recommended overhauling compensation based on objective management indicators, adding external verification mechanisms and institutionalizing pre-strike mediation procedures. “With competition in AI semiconductors intensifying, a prolonged internal conflict itself can be a significant opportunity cost,” he said. 2026-04-26 09:39:19 -
Hyosung’s Vietnam Bet Shows How Supply Chains Shift From China to Regional Hubs The global economy’s center of gravity is shifting. For years, multinational companies clustered production where it was cheapest, fastest and biggest, with China at the core. After U.S.-China tensions intensified, that model began to wobble. Companies increasingly face a different question: not where to depend, but how to spread risk. That approach is often called the “China plus one” strategy — splitting production bases and dividing exposure. Yet it has produced a paradox: while companies talk about diversification, they also concentrate heavily in a new place. A clear example is Cho Hyun-joon and Hyosung Group’s expansion in Vietnam. Since entering Vietnam in 2007, Hyosung has invested $5 billion, built nine local units and hired 10,000 workers. It has developed a production chain spanning spandex, tire cord, polypropylene and electric motors. With newer investments in advanced sectors such as bio-butanediol and high-voltage motors, cumulative investment is nearing $6 billion. On its face, that looks less like diversification than concentration. The explanation is that companies diversify one thing and concentrate another. What they seek to diversify is country risk — reducing heavy dependence on a single nation, especially China. What they concentrate is function. Building a cluster that combines production, logistics, labor and technology often requires focus. In today’s supply chains, the pattern is increasingly: diversify globally, concentrate regionally. Hyosung’s Vietnam strategy fits that structure. As it moves away from a China-centered axis, it has consolidated production functions around Vietnam. The shift is not simply relocating factories; it is building a new pillar of its supply chain — closer to a redesign than a transfer. That redesign is reflected in what Hyosung makes there. Vietnam was long seen mainly as a low-wage manufacturing base, but Hyosung’s portfolio goes beyond basic labor-intensive work. Spandex requires stable, high-precision processes, and tire cord is tied directly to global automaker supply chains. With chemicals such as polypropylene and PDH, and with electric motors, Vietnam functions as a production hub rather than a single factory site. As industries become more advanced, research and technical infrastructure matter more. Why, then, does Vietnam remain the stage for expansion? The answer again lies in separating functions. Even in advanced industries, not every step must happen in one place. Research and development can be done in South Korea or other advanced economies, while manufacturing is carried out at efficient bases. Vietnam is positioned for production, combining established infrastructure, accumulated labor capacity, a stable policy environment and multiple free trade agreements that support exports. The core issue is structure, not technology. Technology can move; the environment that makes it work is harder to replicate. What Hyosung has built in Vietnam is not just know-how, but the conditions for that know-how to operate — making the base difficult to replace quickly. The company’s role, the column argues, now extends beyond economics. It cites Hyosung Chairman Cho’s participation as part of an economic delegation accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on a Vietnam trip. In the past, diplomacy was led by governments: states signed agreements and companies followed. Now, the sequence is often reversed, with companies entering first to build relationships and governments layering cooperation on top. That does not mean business becomes diplomacy. Companies pursue profit. But the networks they create can serve as leverage for state-to-state cooperation. Trust with local authorities, industrial infrastructure, and ties built through jobs and investment can provide a practical foundation for bilateral collaboration. Hyosung’s Vietnam footprint illustrates that leverage, the column says. Its production base and local network have become a tangible link between South Korea and Vietnam — a relationship built through long-term investment rather than a single visit. The structure is not risk-free. Concentration in one country can bring exposure to political change, labor conditions and swings in global demand. With cumulative investment nearing $6 billion and key production functions clustered in Vietnam, the burden is real. Still, the column argues the risk should not be viewed only as something to endure. Global companies increasingly pair concentration with contingency plans: spreading parts of production to other countries, diversifying suppliers, and keeping core technology and decision-making at home. The result is a flexible structure — neither fully dispersed nor fully concentrated. Hyosung, it says, is centered on Vietnam while leaving room to expand elsewhere. The key is not a fixed answer but a design that can respond to change. Supply-chain competitiveness comes from architecture, not just location. The column concludes that Cho’s Vietnam strategy raises a broader question: where should a company put down roots, and what kind of structure should it build from those roots? In global competition, it argues, outcomes are no longer decided by the number of factories, but by how companies connect operations, allocate functions and share risk.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 09:16:09 -
HD Hyundai Wins First U.S. Navy Research Office Project Awarded to a South Korean Firm HD Hyundai has won two core research projects from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, becoming the first South Korean company to secure such work and expanding cooperation with the U.S. Navy. The company said April 26 that it recently held a contract-signing ceremony with the Office of Naval Research, or ONR, for two projects related to improving naval vessel performance. ONR, part of the U.S. Department of the Navy, oversees science and technology research and development for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The ceremony was held at ONR headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, with Jang Kwang-pil, vice president and head of the Future Technology Research Institute at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and ONR Director Rachel Riley among those attending. Under the contracts, HD Hyundai will work on a project to improve naval vessel performance using artificial intelligence. Based on its digital ship technologies, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Seoul National University’s Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, led by Professor Kim Yong-hwan, will jointly develop the technology. HD Hyundai also won a project to develop technologies to raise productivity in naval vessel construction, drawing on its advanced manufacturing capabilities. That research will be carried out by the Future Technology Research Institute at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. HD Hyundai said the ONR awards position it as a key partner for joint research with the U.S. Navy spanning naval vessel development through construction, and reflect U.S. recognition of its advanced technologies in the naval sector. Joo Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and head of its naval vessels and medium-sized ship business, said, “With this ONR project award as a turning point, we will further expand cooperation with the United States in the naval vessel field.” He added, “With pride as a national representative of South Korea, we will devote our full efforts to expanding the reach of K-marine defense industry.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 09:15:14 -
UNESCO Names Kim Gu a 2026 Commemorative Figure as Novel Revisits His Legacy In 2026, Korea marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of independence leader Kim Gu, also known by his pen name Baekbeom. June 26 again brings remembrance of the day he was shot at Gyeonggyojang and died. UNESCO has selected Kim as a “2026 commemorative figure.” He is described as the third Korean to receive the designation, after Jeong Yak-yong and Father Kim Dae-geon, and as the fourth independence activist worldwide to be cited in that way, after Gandhi, Ho Chi Minh and Mandela. The recognition, the article argues, is a prompt to look more closely at what Kim’s life meant. That question is taken up in the novel “Baekbeom Lies Down on This Land,” by author Lim Soon-man. The book is presented not as a conventional historical novel but as a work that revisits the ethical choices behind Korea’s independence movement. Lim, a former journalist who rose from reporter to managing editor at the Kukmin Ilbo, spent five years gathering materials and reporting, three years writing, and nearly a decade overall to complete the book, the article says. It adds that the novel uses no fictional characters: all figures are real people, and events are based on historical sources and records. The novel has 24 chapters, beginning with the hardships of Kim Chang-su, Kim Gu’s birth name, and moving through his failure in the state examination, the Chihapo incident, involvement with the Donghak movement, exile, struggles of the Provisional Government in Shanghai, the actions of Lee Bong-chang and Yun Bong-gil, the creation of the Korean Liberation Army, the post-liberation crossroads of division, and his final moments at Gyeonggyojang. The first two chapter titles are “I Offer My Life” and “I Receive Your Life,” framing the independence struggle as an ethic of sacrifice and responsibility, the article says. In scenes leading up to Yun’s action, Kim is portrayed not simply as a commander but as someone sending a man to a death he expects will not be survived. The novel, the article says, avoids turning the moment into a heroic tale and instead shows the human weight of the decision. Kim does not promise victory; he does what he believes must be done. One of the book’s most lingering episodes, the article says, involves a Chinese woman boatman named Ju Aebo. After Yun’s action, Kim must hide from Japanese pursuit, and Ju appears. The two live together in what the article describes as a quasi-marital arrangement. The author writes: “Spending the night with the teacher on the boat, Ju Aebo sinks into thought. She senses that, behind his few words and his refusal to show emotion, there crouches the weary past of someone who has crossed great mountains. The days look dry on the surface, but as water flows to the sea, she feels that, in the time they share, the same current is being made.” The passage, the article says, brings Kim down from the pedestal of a great figure and shows him as a man and a human being. Another key passage centers on “rice,” described as “food made by heaven,” formed by the earth’s strength and human sweat, and therefore something to be grateful for because it follows the natural order. The article says the line reflects a core of Kim’s thinking: before grand ideology comes the basic duty to feed the hungry and not lose one’s humanity, and that recovering a nation must ultimately mean saving people. After liberation, Kim decides to go to Pyongyang in an effort to prevent the division of North and South. The article says many expected failure, and the outcome was failure. It quotes him as saying: “If I go to North Korea and fail, a record of that failure will remain, and if such attempts are repeated, someone will go beyond that failure.” The article says Kim viewed division not as an “ideological problem” but as a “problem of time,” warning that without contact war would come and, over time, hatred would harden into a system. It says he went despite expecting failure. On June 26, 1949, Kim was shot at Gyeonggyojang in Seoul by Army Second Lt. Ahn Doo-hee, the article says. It calls the killing a cruel irony: he died in the middle of the liberated country he had long sought. The novel, the article says, describes the scene without exaggeration. It quotes a line that says the killers took Kim’s life with a gun but could not take the tears of ordinary people who came in huge numbers and wept outside the shattered window. The article cites a record that Seoul’s population at the time was 1.4 million and that 1.24 million people paid their respects. It says the figure was more than a number, arguing it testified to public sentiment about who had lived for the country. Politically, the article says, Kim failed: he did not stop division, did not take power, and was assassinated. But it argues that history remembers those who did not compromise even in failure. The article also highlights Kim’s vision of a “cultural power,” quoting him: “The only thing I want our country to have without limit is the power of a high culture.” It says Kim did not want a country that dominated others through military strength, but one with dignity that neither oppressed nor was oppressed. It adds that, in an era when BTS and K-culture move the world, his words are being understood anew. The article ends by asking how Kim should be honored, saying memorial halls and statues matter but that more important is keeping his spirit alive in daily life: restoring politics as an ethic of responsibility rather than a technique of power, rebuilding the economy as community dignity rather than the triumph of greed, and returning education from a tool of competition to training in being human. It says East Asia remains uneasy and that the world is again shaken by power politics, citing the Korean Peninsula’s division, U.S.-China rivalry, historical disputes with Japan, and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. Against that backdrop, it says, Kim’s life continues to pose a question: whether to rule by force or coexist through culture. 2026-04-26 09:12:18 -
Hyundai’s Jose Munoz Targets 500,000 Annual Sales in China by 2030 "At Beijing Hyundai, we will sell 500,000 vehicles a year by 2030, including domestic sales and exports." Hyundai Motor President Jose Munoz said at a meeting with reporters on April 24 at the China International Exhibition Center Convention Center in Beijing that the company will make this year the starting point for accelerating a turnaround in China. He said Hyundai plans to launch 20 new energy vehicles, or NEVs, by 2030 and show annual growth of 9%. Hyundai on Thursday opened the 2026 Beijing Motor Show (Auto China 2026) by unveiling the China mass-production model Ioniq V for the first time in the world. The Ioniq V features a localized interior and exterior design, a naming strategy based on planet names, a battery from China’s CATL, and Momenta’s Level 2+ driver-assistance technology, including highway driving assistance and memory parking. "China is the most important EV market, and Hyundai is one of the best-performing companies in EVs globally," Munoz said. He said Hyundai will strengthen its positioning in China by combining products, features, design, service and pricing proven in global markets with thorough localization. China is often called a tough market for foreign brands because consumers strongly prefer domestic vehicles. With the economy weakening, global automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Group and BMW have also stepped up moves to reduce their exposure to China. Munoz said Hyundai’s Ioniq brand has been central to the company’s push to become a technology company, not just an automaker. He said Hyundai will combine Ioniq technology with localization efforts and the founder chairman’s “challenge DNA” to sustain Hyundai’s momentum in China. Munoz also pledged to deepen partnerships in China. He said that with China’s NEV tax incentives being reduced, companies cannot build fundamental competitiveness simply by importing functions and technology, and that Hyundai will work with local partners to strengthen its core capabilities. He also offered a blunt assessment of Hyundai’s struggles in China over the past decade. "We became overconfident and settled for the status quo," Munoz said, adding that the company learned humility in China and analyzed the causes of its failures through dialogue with partners and customers. He said China’s market and technology are changing faster than in the past, and that Hyundai will execute its strategy step by step with a learning mindset not only in autos but also in hydrogen and physical artificial intelligence. The Ioniq V shown Thursday includes smart AI features, distinctive exterior and interior design, and advanced electronics aimed at Chinese consumers. Heo Jae-ho, Hyundai’s chief technology officer in China, said the vehicle will include a digital ecosystem centered on a smart cabin and autonomous driving, as well as LLM-based voice recognition and personalized services from Doubao, a ByteDance subsidiary. He said Hyundai will also reflect local preferences with Chinese apps such as Baidu, Amap and WeChat, along with Dolby sound and karaoke features. Hyundai plans to build out the Ioniq V lineup to six models by 2028, using two platforms for compact and mid-to-large vehicles and offering both EV and extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV, variants. It will then expand sequentially to 20 models by 2030, depending on market conditions and China’s policies. Munoz said Hyundai’s ability to survive amid variables such as tariffs, the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act and war in the Middle East has been driven by offering customers a wide range of choices. He said Hyundai will provide Chinese customers with flexible options including the Ioniq V, Ioniq E, a future D-segment SUV, a multipurpose vehicle and EREV models. Munoz said Hyundai can apply its global playbook in China, citing the company’s position as No. 3 in global vehicle volume and No. 2 in profitability. He said growth in China is an important opportunity, including as a hedge against risks in other regions.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-26 09:03:20 -
SBS ‘Unanswered Questions’ Probes Tip Claiming Body Was Not Dumped at Dumulmeori SBS investigative program ‘Unanswered Questions’ is examining a case in which a body has not been found for 100 days after a reported dumping near Dumulmeori in Yangpyeong. The episode airing April 25 focuses on unanswered questions surrounding the killing and alleged disposal of the body of a delivery driver identified as Lee Jun-woo, a pseudonym. The case surfaced after a 112 emergency call on Jan. 21 reporting that Lee, 34, had been unreachable for several days. The caller, a fellow delivery driver, said he became concerned after recalling that Lee had appeared badly injured days before he vanished. “He had a broken tooth, his face was bruised beyond recognition, and his lip was split badly enough to need stitches,” the colleague told the program’s producers. Co-workers suspected a man surnamed Seong, Lee’s same-age roommate. Witnesses said Seong had been seen assaulting Lee, though Lee had brushed off questions about abuse by saying he was “just hurt.” Seong also claimed he did not know Lee’s whereabouts, saying he thought Lee had gone gambling. Police later reviewed apartment CCTV footage from the night of Jan. 14 that appeared to show Seong dragging Lee, who looked to be dead. Police then arrested Seong on an emergency basis, the program said. In questioning, Seong told police he killed Lee and put the body in a rental car, then drove to Yangpyeong and dumped it. He said the killing happened around 3:30 p.m. Jan. 14 during an argument over gas money, and that he disposed of the body later that night near Yongdam Bridge, close to Dumulmeori. Despite extensive searches by police and fire authorities, Lee’s body has not been found for 100 days, leaving the family unable to hold a funeral, the program said. Relatives suspect the location Seong provided may not be the real site because no body, shoes or clothing have been recovered. The time Seong gave for the killing and details of the disposal have also not been clearly verified, according to the broadcast. The producers said they received a new tip claiming, “It’s Yangpyeong, but not Dumulmeori — I heard it was buried somewhere else.” The tipster also alleged Seong gave a false statement out of fear that, if the body were found, it would reveal he used tools. The tipster said Seong also made remarks that seemed to hint at an accomplice. ‘Unanswered Questions’ airs at 11:10 p.m. on April 25.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-25 22:33:19 -
Lee Jae-myung Vows Tough Punishment for Syringe Hoarding as U.S.-Iran Talks Eyed Lee Jae-myung: Syringe hoarding is antisocial; violators will be punished President Lee Jae-myung said he would deal sternly with companies accused of stockpiling syringes after a special crackdown by health authorities found widespread violations. In a post Friday on X, formerly Twitter, Lee said he had instructed the Cabinet to keep up enforcement and to take all possible follow-up steps, including swift investigations, strict punishment and maximum administrative penalties, for confirmed violations. He said making money by exploiting a community crisis is an “antisocial” act that will be “severely punished.” Earlier, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said a special nationwide inspection of syringe sellers, aimed at stabilizing distribution, found 32 distributors violated a government notice banning syringe hoarding. U.S. delegation may head to Pakistan for talks; Iran issues denial As Washington and Tehran send mixed signals on whether to resume peace negotiations, there is speculation the two sides could meet as soon as this weekend in Pakistan. Yonhap reported that The New York Times, citing two senior Iranian officials, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s eldest son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Pakistan this weekend. The officials said Araghchi headed to Islamabad carrying a written response to a U.S. peace proposal. They said Iran has publicly maintained it would not hold talks until the U.S. blockade of Hormuz is lifted, but has privately explored ways to restart negotiations through mediators including Pakistan. Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on April 25 local time. Lee Jin-sook drops out of Daegu mayor’s race, pledges support for party nominee Lee Jin-sook, the former chair of the Korea Communications Commission who was cut from the People Power Party’s primary for Daegu mayor, said Friday she will not run in the June 3 local election. With Rep. Joo Ho-young also having declared he will not run, the party’s internal turmoil over the Daegu race appeared to ease. Yonhap reported Lee told a news conference at the party’s Daegu office that she was stepping down as a preliminary candidate. She said that once the party selects its nominee on Saturday, she will help that candidate defeat the Democratic Party contender and “protect Daegu from the reckless Democratic Party administration.” While calling the party’s decision to cut her unfair, she said she would not run as an independent. Trump administration allows firing squad and other methods for federal executions The Trump administration said it will allow the firing squad as a method of execution for federal death sentences. Yonhap and Reuters reported Friday that the Justice Department said in a recent report it would add the firing squad, the electric chair and gas asphyxiation as alternative methods, citing difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs. Lethal injection remains the most common method of execution in the United States, but the department said it plans to broaden the options. The department also said it would restore procedures for using pentobarbital, the drug adopted for executions during the first Trump administration. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-25 21:42:18 -
Iran Foreign Minister Delivers Tehran’s Ceasefire Terms to Pakistan Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered Tehran’s position on ending the war to Pakistani officials, according to reports. Yonhap reported that after arriving in Islamabad on the 25th, Araghchi met with Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, and conveyed Iran’s perspective and considerations on a ceasefire. Munir is seen as a key figure mediating U.S.-Iran talks. The two sides were reported to have discussed the latest developments related to a ceasefire and ways to cooperate to strengthen peace and stability in West Asia. Reuters also reported that Araghchi told Pakistani officials of Iran’s reserved stance toward U.S. demands and outlined Iran’s negotiating requirements. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Munir thanked Araghchi for Iran’s trust in Pakistan as a neighboring country and said Pakistan would willingly continue its mediation efforts until results are achieved.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-25 21:39:15 -
Seoul Mayor Poll Shows Jung Won-oh Ahead, but Race Still Fluid Talk is growing that Seoul is tilting sharply to one side. One poll put Jung Won-oh at 45.6% and Oh Se-hoon at 35.4% — a 10.2-point gap outside the margin of error. The figures came from a survey CBS commissioned from the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI). Taken alone, the numbers can make the election look settled. But in politics, the most dangerous moment is mistaking numbers for certainty. A poll is not an outcome; it is a snapshot. It is not the destination of public sentiment, but a point along the way. In that same survey, support for the Democratic Party stood at 44.2%, compared with 31.5% for the People Power Party. Respondents who said they would choose a ruling-party candidate also totaled 46.6%. In that sense, Jung’s 45.6% reads less as personal strength than as a reflection of the broader party current carrying him. That narrows the central question: Is this election about choosing a party, or choosing a mayor? Seoul’s swing voters have long split along that line. Some contests have been decided by party momentum, others by the candidate. Yet at decisive moments, Seoul has tended to choose who appears more prepared to design the city’s future. The Seoul mayor is not a lawmaker, and the job is not a referendum on party loyalty. The mayor is expected to plan the city, anticipate and prevent risks, and at times pull the future forward even in the face of public opposition. From that perspective, the current polling invites scrutiny of what kind of leadership each candidate offers. Jung has spoken of being “a mayor who does what citizens want.” It sounds appealing, but it is political language, not the language of administration. Seoul is not a city that can simply follow demands; it must read needs first. If leaders chase only what residents want today, changes that will be essential tomorrow will be delayed. What the city needs is not just a hand that processes complaints, but the judgment to design what comes next. Oh, whom the writer has watched in the field for more than a decade, has long been a polarizing figure. Some have called him a hard-driving politician; others have criticized him for wasting budgets or pursuing unnecessary experiments. But one point is clear, the writer argues: Oh has consistently presented himself as a mayor focused on planning Seoul’s future. The writer cites initiatives such as Design Seoul, the Han River Renaissance, public transportation innovation, air-quality improvements and waterfront-city projects. Oh, the writer says, has often prioritized what will be needed ahead over what is immediately demanded — a politically risky approach that draws criticism. But the city’s timeline is longer than politics, and the ultimate evaluation may come over that longer span. What this poll suggests is that Seoul is riding a party-driven current, but the choice is not finished. One sign, the writer notes, is that in the same survey a conservative candidate led a progressive candidate in the Seoul superintendent of education race. That points to voters making issue-by-issue decisions rather than moving as a single bloc. Seoul, in other words, is not a place where the polling leader is guaranteed to win. Seoul has not decided. A 10-point gap now is not a result, but a starting position. And elections are decided at the finish line, not at the start. Dismissing unfavorable numbers can be costly — but so can becoming intoxicated by them. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-25 20:54:17