Subscribe
E-Paper
Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been out of the public eye since he gave up his post in a high-stakes political showdown seven years ago.
His smart appearance and gentlemanly manners, combined with the career as a lawyer, made Oh one of the highest-profile politicians with the conservative bloc before he fell from grace in a failed effort to thwart the Seoul city council's bid to introduce free school lunches. Oh stepped down from his mayoral seat in 2011, taking responsibility for failing to block what he called a populist policy, and has since stayed away from the political scene.
This month, Oh put an end to his seven years of obscurity and returned to the fore of public consciousness through an unlikely TV appearance: He appeared on a reality TV show.
Featuring in the latest episode of "Flavor of Wife" aired on Tuesday by TV Chosun, the 57-year-old put his everyday life as a family man on full display.
Oh prepared breakfast for himself and his wife of 33 years and took care of his one-year-old grandson. He was also seen going grocery shopping with his son-in-law and chatting with a shopkeeper in a friendly manner, highlighting his softer side.
"I cried like a baby at my first daughter's wedding. I cried so much that I was embarrassed to see the parents of my son-in-law," Oh told the show, opening his family members to the public gaze for the first time.
Within an hour of the show's broadcast Tuesday night, Oh topped the list of most frequently searched keywords on major local internet search engines.
"Flavor of Wife" is one of many increasingly popular reality TV shows in South Korea that feature married couples -- mainly but not exclusively TV entertainers. Sports stars, fashion models and news anchors have been enlisted by a number of reality shows that center on married life, with politicians becoming the latest profession to participate.
Reality shows featuring the everyday life of celebrities, as if seen through a spy camera, have been in the mainstream for many years in South Korea. Those shows have dealt with the single life or childrearing in the past, but married life is the hottest genre right now, whetting the public's appetite for tidbits from such celebrities' private lives.
For politicians, these reality shows are a shrewd choice to promote the human side of their image.
Later this week, Kim Han-gil, who was a four-term lawmaker, liberal party chief and culture minister, will return to the public eye with his appearance on tvN's new reality show "Apart Together," which shows married couples traveling.
Kim called the TV project "a new challenge" and a deviation from his political career.
"When I say something as a politician, I speak under the assumption that a half of my listeners will have different opinions," Kim said in a press conference promoting the new TV series on Monday. "There is our side and the other side, and I win if I win over a half of the voters in an election."
"But TV entertainment is different. I cannot give up the half, but should win over the hearts of all. This is very different from politics," Kim said. He added that this difference motivated him to join the show.
His wife, veteran actress Choi Myung-kil was at first hesitant. "But I finally accepted the opportunity after deciding that he would do well (on the show)."
2017 presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung made headlines with his appearance for a full season on the highly popular SBS reality show "Same Bed, Different Dreams" late last year. There Lee cemented his image as a modest citizen and a caring husband and father.
The show gave the former Mayor of Seongnam City a boost before he was elected governor of the populous Gyeonggi Province in the June 13 local elections -- despite a slew of scandals that dogged him throughout the campaign.
Oh is reportedly seeking to run for a party leadership position at the conservative Liberty Korea Party's convention in February.
"More politicians are joining the rosters of entertainment TV programs as broadcasters are in growing need of people from many different fields for their shows in order to meet viewers' various interests," one broadcasting official said.
"As more politicians go beyond appearing on documentaries or news shows to join entertainment programs, they may also be tempted to reach out to the public with a friendly image," the official said.
