Politics · South Korea · 57 mins ago
Seoul opposition leader vows to challenge policy resistance and debate city plans
Kim Gil-young leads the People Power Party in Seoul’s city council, where his party is in the minority.
The Democratic Party holds 80 of the council’s 118 seats, while Kim’s party has 38; Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon belongs to the People Power Party.
Kim says his party will work with the majority when it agrees with a proposal, but will publicly debate policies it believes are being opposed just because they are the mayor’s.
He supports the Han River Bus project and a youth artificial intelligence program, while saying both should be checked and improved for residents.
The city has included 26.6 billion won for the youth AI program in its proposed budget, after the funding was cut from a previous supplementary budget.
The council is now reviewing city services and will begin considering Seoul’s 2027 budget of about 55.7 trillion won on November 20.
Kim Gil-young, the People Power Party’s leader in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, said he would challenge what he sees as Democratic Party obstruction of Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s policies.
He called for opponents of policies to offer alternatives and debate whether the measures help residents.
The Democratic Party holds 80 of the council’s 118 seats, while the People Power Party holds 38.
Kim backed the Han River bus and a youth artificial intelligence program, while saying both should be scrutinised and improved.
The council is reviewing Seoul’s proposed 2027 budget of 55.7445 trillion won.
- Who
- Kim Gil-young, leader of the People Power Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council.
- What
- He vowed to challenge what he considers obstruction of Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s policies and urged debate and alternatives.
- When
- He spoke in an interview on November 4, published November 7, 2026.
- Where
- Seoul, South Korea.
- Why
- He said policies should be assessed for their value to residents and that opposition should include alternatives.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council began its 340th regular session, scheduled to run through December 23.
Kim Gil-young gave an interview to Yonhap at the council offices in Seoul.
The council was scheduled to conduct its administrative audit.
The council was scheduled to hold questions on city administration.
The council was scheduled to review Seoul’s proposed 2027 budget of 55.7445 trillion won.
- Council seats
- People Power Party: 38 of 118; Democratic Party: 80
- 2027 Seoul budget proposal
- 55.7445 trillion won
- Youth AI program allocation
- 26.6 billion won in the proposed 2027 budget
- Regular session
- November 2–December 23, 2026
What people are saying
If the Democratic Party only tries to obstruct because Mayor Oh Se-hoon is doing it, we will bring it to an open debate and have it tested to see whether it really helps citizens’ lives.
It is fine to oppose. But then you have to put forward an alternative.
We want to bring policies that we think are being obstructed into a public forum and debate and prove whether they really help citizens’ lives or not.
It is not the Democratic Party’s money, the People Power Party’s money, or Mayor Oh’s money. In the end, it is a question of how to allocate the taxes paid by citizens.