Oh Shin-hwan

Oh was born in Sillim-dong, Yeongdeungpo District (now in Gwanak District) in Seoul in 1971. He is the youngest son of Lee Sung-im and Oh Yoo-geun, the former Deputy Speaker of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.[2][3]

He attended to Danggok Primary School[2] and Danggok Secondary School, then graduated from Danggok High School[3] in 1989.[4] Following the graduation, he studied civil engineering at Konkuk University[2][1] but dropped out.[4] He was then admitted to Korea National University of Arts (K-ARTS) and earned a bachelor's degree in theatre,[2][1] as well as a master's degree in public policy from Korea University and a doctorate in urban sociology from University of Seoul.[5] He graduated from K-ARTS in 1998 along with several notable actors, such as Jang Dong-gun and Lee Sun-kyun.[2][1][3]

Oh had been acting in some university plays since 1989, while he was studying at Konkuk University.[2] He joined Yeonwoo Stage in 1991, then subsequently appeared to Ride Together (동승),[2] which was adapted from a drama of Ham Se-dŏk.[6] After his admission to K-ARTS in 1994, he continued his acting in Marionette Show (꼭두각시 놀음), The Story of Park Ki-hong (박기홍 이야기), Mud (진흙) and so on.[2] During this period, he worked with Song Kang-ho;[1] a source reported that both used to share a house.[2] Other than plays, Oh played supporting roles in independent films, including Yellow Flower (둘 하나 섹스)[7] and A Woman Off Her Uniform (남산에 오르다).[1]

Before admitting to politics, Oh served as the director of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.[1][3]

Oh joined the Grand National Party (GNP; later Saenuri Party then Liberty Korea Party) in 2006, and ran as a Seoul Metropolitan Council member for Gwanak 1st constituency at the local elections.[1] He received 43.75% and won,[3] making him as the youngest person holds the position.[2][1] In 2010, he was chosen as the GNP candidate for Mayor of Gwanak but lost to Yoo Jong-pil.[8] In 2012, he was the Saenuri's MP candidate for Gwanak 2nd constituency but defeated by the opposition alliance (DUP-UPP) candidate Lee Sang-kyu.[9] Following the defeat, he worked for Park Geun-hye, the Saenuri's presidential candidate who won in the same year, as well as the party's youth wing.[3]

The election of Lee Sang-kyu was annulled due to the UPP's ban in December 2014,[10] which brought a by-election in 2015. Oh won the Saenuri preselection, defeating the former candidate Kim Cheol-soo.[11] On 29 April, he gained 43.89% and defeated Chung Tae-ho (NPAD) and Chung Dong-young (Independent).[12][13] The result became a sensation, as the constituency was known as liberal-leaning where conservatives did not win since the creation in 1988.[1][14] Nevertheless, some analyses showed that he could lose if non-conservatives put a unity candidate.[2][13]

Oh was re-elected in 2016, where his party faced a shock defeat.[15] He was then appointed as the party's deputy parliamentary leader,[16] but left the party after the political scandal in October.[17] He then joined Bareun Party, the splinter group formed by Saenuri's dissidents. On 22 December 2017, he was elected as the party's parliamentary leader[18] and held the position till the party was merged into Bareunmirae Party in 2018.

After Sohn Hak-kyu was elected as the Bareunmirae's President, Oh was appointed as the Secretary-General.[19] Soon, the party was split due to the conflicts regarding the electoral reform and the installation of the Office of Crime Investigation for Senior Public Officials.[20] This occurred the resignation of Kim Kwan-young, the party's parliamentary leader who faced public criticisms.[21] Oh succeeded the position on 15 May,[3] defeating Kim Sung-sick. Analyses showed that Kim failed to get supports from the former People's Party (PP) MPs, though Kim has a background of PP.[22]

Following the long conflicts with Sohn, Oh joined the party's dissident group, Emergency Action for Change and Innovation (later New Conservative Party), led by the party's ex-co-President Yoo Seong-min.[23] However, Yoo stood down as the group leader due to the controversy, made Oh to replace the presidency.[24] All group members were later suspended from the party,[25] as well as Oh, who was also sacked from the parliamentary leader.[26]

In 2023, under mayor Oh Se-hoon, Oh was appointed Seoul’s Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs. He later resigned on 16 May, to prepare for the upcoming National Assembly elections in 2024.[27]

During the 2015 by-election, it was reported that Oh's master's degree from Korea University was revoked due to the thesis plagiarism, which he forgot to write the references.[28] He mentioned that his degree was not revoked; he voluntarily returned it for parliamentary career.[28]

Oh married to Yoo Jung-mi and has 2 sons[3] — Oh Se-yoon and Oh Se-hyun.[29] He is a Protestant.[30]

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