Oh Se-hoon
Quick Facts
Biography
Oh Se-hoon (born January 4, 1961) is a South Korean politician who served as the mayor of Seoul between 2006 and August 26, 2011. On June 3, 2010, Oh was reelected as the Mayor of Seoul but resigned after losing a referendum on the Seoul Free Lunch Referendum. Oh is a member of the Bareun Party.
Personal history
Oh was born in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. He graduated from Daeil High School and went on to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He graduated from Korea University's School of Law and became a lawyer. In 2000, Oh was elected as a member of the 16th National Assembly of South Korea. On July 1, 2006, Oh began his term as the mayor of Seoul; Oh was reelected for his second term in 2010. Oh's term was set to expire on June 30, 2014. Oh resigned two years before his term and had stayed in London as a fellow at the Graduate School of Social Science and Public Policy at King's College London, focusing on major cities around the world seeking ways to create jobs and help promote economic growth.
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 and reduce dependence on bottled water, 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.
Criticism
- Oh's last 5 years in office as the mayor of Seoul had tripled the debt of Seoul.
Wikileaks
Oh's discussion with Alexander Vershbow in 2006 mentioned "while a merger between the GNP (Grand National Party) and the Democratic Party would be beneficial to the GNP" according to a released Wikileaks document.
Writings
- 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