Land Minister Kim Yoon-duk said after meeting Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon that the two sides remain apart on supplying housing at Yongsan Park, but that the ministry would review a site at the Tancheon water reclamation center using data provided by the city government. Kim also made clear that Yongsan Park is not included in the more than 73,000 units of new housing land the government plans to announce as part of its August 13 housing supply measures. Kim and Oh plan to meet again next week to continue the discussions.
Speaking to reporters on the 26th after wrapping up talks with Oh in Seoul, Kim said the two sides had "yet to narrow their differences" on housing supply at Yongsan Park. "We conveyed our true intent, which is to build housing on a limited basis, such as at the officers' quarters," he said.
The meeting was the third between the two, following talks last month and on the 20th of this month. At this session, the main agenda included Yongsan Park and measures to expand housing supply in Seoul.
Kim said, however, that the ministry would review the possibility of housing supply at the Tancheon water reclamation center, which Oh had proposed as an alternative site to Yongsan Park. "We reached agreement on many points, but the Tancheon water reclamation center came up, and that is the key issue," Kim said. "We will review the possibility of housing supply under this proposal."
Ahead of the meeting, when asked whether Yongsan Park would be included in the additional new housing land, Kim replied that "Yongsan was not part of it in the first place." Asked whether the 73,000 units would be filled entirely with greenbelt land in Gyeonggi Province, he said it was difficult to give specifics, adding, "The idea is to wait and see, slowly."
