Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon accused the government and the ruling party of politicizing housing supply policy, saying he wanted to believe the goal of their real estate policy was not "to strip Oh Se-hoon of power." Oh said the government has turned lukewarm on the Tancheon Water Recycling Center redevelopment plan proposed by the city while seeking to transfer authority over redevelopment projects of 500 units or fewer to district offices, urging officials to "look at supply, not politics."
In a Facebook post on the 28th titled "Is the purpose of real estate policy to strip Oh Se-hoon of power?" the mayor said the government, which had pledged to review the proposal actively, "has suddenly turned lukewarm." He added that the Democratic Party "attacked as if it had been waiting, calling the plan ineffective."
"Does it add up that Yongsan Park, where no one can even say when construction could begin, is acceptable, while the Tancheon Water Recycling Center, where relocation is already under review, is rejected as ineffective?" Oh said. "It would make more sense to just say it cannot be done because Oh Se-hoon proposed it."
Oh formally presented the Tancheon Water Recycling Center plan as an alternative to housing supply at Yongsan Park during a meeting with Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yun-duk on the 26th. The plan calls for relocating the water recycling facility and developing the surrounding site into a mixed-use hub combining the physical artificial intelligence industry with housing for young adults. Kim said at the time that he could comment only after receiving and analyzing the materials, and later wrote on social media that he would review the Tancheon site proposed by the city.
Oh again stressed that easing rules on redevelopment and the rebuilding of aging apartment complexes is the fastest way to expand housing supply in Seoul, rather than finding new land for development. "Clear supply solutions are already underway across Seoul, to the point that we would not even need to propose the Tancheon Water Recycling Center site as an alternative," he said. "That is redevelopment and rebuilding."
The city estimates that if the government raises the floor area ratio for redevelopment projects to 1.2 times the legal cap, the net increase in housing units by 2031 would rise to about 130,000 from the current 87,000. That amounts to roughly 43,000 additional units based on projects that have already won approval to form redevelopment associations. "We do not have to wander in search of new land. We do not have to damage green space that belongs to future generations," Oh said. "The fastest, most certain path to supplying the largest number of homes is already in front of us."
Oh also objected to the plan pushed by the government and the ruling party to transfer authority to designate redevelopment districts for projects of 500 units or fewer to district offices. "Forcibly stripping away authority that is not even the cause of supply delays and packaging it as 'rapid supply' is an irresponsible idea that encourages haphazard development and shakes up Seoul's urban planning system," he said. "It is hard to explain in any way other than a political aim to bypass Seoul City and weaken the mayor's authority."
"I want to believe that the purpose of the government's real estate policy is not really 'to strip Oh Se-hoon of power,'" he said. "Look at supply, not politics. Look at citizens, not Oh Se-hoon."
Oh and Kim are set to meet again as early as next week to discuss housing supply measures for Seoul. At their earlier meeting, the two sides looked for common ground on easing floor area ratios for redevelopment projects and using greenbelt land, but failed to narrow their differences over housing supply at Yongsan Park. With Oh publicly and sharply criticizing the government and the ruling party, attention is turning to whether the two sides can find common ground on supply measures at their next meeting.
