Only Oh Se-hoon in teal? Districts that flipped parties switch back to yellow civil defense uniforms

A striking visual contrast emerged at the Ulchi Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon appeared in a teal civil defense uniform, standing out alone among President Lee Jae Myung and cabinet ministers, all dressed in yellow. The color clash drew added attention given the ongoing dispute between Lee and Oh over real estate supply policy.

The color of civil defense uniforms worn by local government heads has in effect become a marker of political affiliation. Democratic Party of Korea members wear yellow, while People Power Party members wear teal. The divide runs not only through the central government and regional government heads but also through the mayors of all 25 of Seoul's autonomous districts. As district mayors have changed hands, some district office civil servants have gone so far as to purchase new uniforms in the appropriate color.

The seven Seoul districts where the district mayor's party affiliation changed following the June 3 local elections have seen their mayors and senior officials all switch from teal to yellow for the 2026 Ulchi civil defense exercise, running Tuesday through Friday. Four years ago, during the eighth round of local elections, the breakdown among Seoul's district mayors was 8 Democratic Party to 17 People Power Party. In the ninth round, that split reversed exactly — 17 Democratic Party to 8 People Power Party. The seven districts that flipped from the People Power Party to the Democratic Party are Jongno, Dongdaemun, Dobong, Seodaemun, Mapo, Yeongdeungpo and Dongjak.

As Democratic Party district mayors began wearing yellow civil defense uniforms, the civil servants under them followed suit. Most civil servants are said to keep both teal and yellow uniforms on hand. Civil defense uniforms are purchased by department through each local government's budget, with a standard spring-autumn uniform costing between 30,000 and 35,000 won ($25) per set. However, some district offices that changed mayors after the June 3 elections bought new yellow uniforms outright. An official at one district that switched to a Democratic Party mayor said in a phone interview Tuesday, "The district mayor wore yellow, so the senior officials followed along," adding that "only those who had only teal uniforms bought new ones."

The civil defense uniform was teal when the civil defense system was introduced in 1975, but changed to yellow in August 2005 — the 30th anniversary of the founding of the civil defense corps — under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. The design of the front and back panels, typeface and other details are governed by the implementing regulations for civil defense uniforms.

The color changed once more under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. In 2023, the Ministry of Interior and Safety revised the enforcement regulations of the Framework Act on Civil Defense, switching the uniform back to teal. The ministry said the change came in response to calls to improve the yellow uniform, which lacked functional properties such as waterproofing and flame resistance. However, through transitional provisions in the supplementary clauses, the ministry allowed previously issued uniforms to remain in use, meaning both yellow and teal could be worn.

This is not the first time the color of civil defense uniforms has become a talking point. Shortly after taking office, President Lee presided over a safety and security inspection meeting on June 5 last year, convened to prepare for flood-season disaster prevention, wearing an older-style yellow civil defense uniform — his first public appearance in one. Lee said at the time, "I don't have a uniform that fits, so I ended up wearing this one," and told others to "just wear whatever you have." He has continued to wear the yellow uniform at every such occasion since.