Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at a National Assembly audit of Seoul City Hall, Tuesday. Yonhap
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon called on Friday for South Korea to enhance its nuclear capabilities in response to recent threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, during an event where he displayed a map of Seoul.
Oh expressed outrage at Kim's increasingly hostile action, which portrayed South Korea as "a foreign and openly hostile country" and warned that Pyongyang would use force if its sovereignty is violated.
Kim's remarks were made during an inspection of the headquarters of the 2nd Corps of the North Korean People's Army on Thursday, just two days after the North demolished roads and railways connecting the two Koreas that were once considered symbols of cross-border reconciliation.
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In response, Oh voiced his frustration in a Facebook post, saying, "As a lifelong Seoul citizen and the mayor of this city, I feel unbearable anger at their repeated threats toward Seoul."
He underscored the urgent need for South Korea to develop nuclear capabilities, arguing that the North's aggressive actions stem from a nuclear asymmetry between the two countries.
"North Korea behaves with such impunity because they possess nuclear weapons, and we do not," Oh said.
He further emphasized the property damage and fire incidents in the capital caused by trash balloons sent from the North.
A screenshot of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's post on Facebook / Captured from Facebook
Oh also criticized what he termed the rise of a "false peace theory" in South Korea, specifically calling out Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), for his claim that "even a dirty peace is better than a winning war."
The mayor labeled such remarks as "representative sophistry" and warned that unconditional pacifism is, in fact, counterproductive to peace.
In addition, Oh pledged to strengthen Seoul's defenses in coordination with the military, assuring citizens that the city would not be swayed by Kim's threats.
"No matter how aggressive Kim's threats become, Seoul will remain unfazed," he said.
"We will work closely with the Capital Defense Command to thoroughly maintain the city's defense posture and ensure the safety of our citizens."