Ahn Cheol-soo calls on Lee government to apologize to Seoul's 10 million residents over silencing of Mayor Oh

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo on Thursday called on President Lee Jae Myung to apologize to Seoul's 10 million residents, accusing him of cutting off Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon during a Cabinet meeting when Oh attempted to raise real estate issues.

In a Facebook post titled "Is Mayor Oh a mere prop? President Lee Jae Myung, apologize to Seoul's 10 million residents," Ahn said that at a recent Cabinet meeting, Oh had requested the floor to speak on real estate matters, only to be blocked by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, who said she would "accept it in writing," while Lee told him to "do it later."

Ahn said the government had no business seating the representative of 10 million Seoul residents if it had no intention of letting him speak. "Was a prop needed in front of the live broadcast cameras?" he said. "Do you find it amusing to treat him like the ugly duckling and bully him?"

Ahn said the government had put "gathering public opinion" on the agenda under the banner of listening to public sentiment on real estate, yet silenced the very mayor standing on the front lines of the housing crisis. "A government that swats down even the mayor's own voice with a piece of paper — how does it expect to hear the people?" he said.

He also questioned whether the move was retaliation for the defeat of Jeong Won-o, a candidate backed by Lee, in the Seoul mayoral race. "Would they have told Jeong Won-o to submit it in writing and speak later if he had been Seoul mayor?" Ahn said.

Ahn noted that Lee, a former Gyeonggi Province governor, should know better than anyone how important it is to bring regional voices to the central government. "The fact that he did this anyway can only be seen as deliberate," he said.

Ahn went on to say the Cabinet meeting had become a gathering of presidential loyalists trading compliments and laughing among themselves. "It should not even be broadcast — it is a waste of airwaves and a taxpayer-funded theater of the absurd," he said.

Lee must apologize to Seoul's 10 million residents and put an end to what Ahn called a "play disguised as a Cabinet meeting." "Even a children's school recital isn't done this way," he added.