Seoul mayor vows to stake office on free lunch vote

(ATTN: ADDS details in para 4, reactions of ruling, opposition parties in last 5 paras)
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pledged Sunday to stake his mayorship on the results of this week's referendum on the city's free school lunch program, upping the ante in the controversial vote.
"I will stake my mayorship on the results of Wednesday's referendum and take full responsibility for them," he told a press conference in City Hall.
"If my decision today can sow the seeds to bear the fruits of sustainable welfare and true democracy in this country, I have no regrets even if (I) fade into the mists of history," he said.
The mayor stressed that the referendum must be used as an opportunity to demonstrate the will of the citizens, and offered to step down if the vote ends in failure, either due to low voter turnout or a majority in favor of the opposition.
The vote asks citizens to choose between the opposition-led program of free school lunch for all students and one that prioritizes those in most need. Oh has argued that providing free lunch to all students is a populist policy weighing on government finances, while opposition parties claim poor students receiving free lunch could be stigmatized at school.
The ballot will be counted only if one-third of the city's 800,000 eligible voters participate in the vote, the first such poll for Seoul. Opposition parties are encouraging citizens to boycott the vote to nullify the referendum aimed at stopping the free lunch program.
Oh's announcement comes days after the mayor said he will not run in next year's presidential race, rejecting speculation that he is using the referendum to boost his political fortunes ahead of the election.
Following Oh's decision, the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) vowed to ensure a victory at the polls, saying the office of the mayor should not be linked to a policy referendum.
"It isn't right to tie the mayorship to a policy vote, which is not a referendum over the office of mayor," Kim Gi-hyeon, a GNP spokesman, said at a briefing at his party headquarters in Seoul. He added that if turnout is low, Oh would not be responsible, and that the opposition-led campaign to boycott the vote would be at fault.
A vote in Oh's favor is expected to boost the GNP's political leverage, while a loss would not only require a by-election for the mayorship but also likely impact the party's fate in next year's parliamentary and presidential elections.
Opposition parties lashed out at Oh's move, demanding the mayor stop his "political play" to lure citizens to the polls.
"Not long ago, (the mayor) made an announcement out of the blue that he would not run in the presidential race. That was the first step of his strategy to put pressure on citizens, and now he is using his mayorship to launch the second step of his blackmail strategy," said Lee Yong-sup, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party, in a commentary. The spokesman accused Oh of bargaining with Seoul residents and making light of their "high political awareness."
hague@yna.co.kr