Seoul and the central government failed to narrow their differences over housing supply at Yongsan Park. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held a briefing on the 20th after meeting Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yun-deok, saying the two sides "ran on parallel lines" over the park. The mayor stressed that agreeing to use even part of the site for housing "would leave me condemned by history as a sinner as Seoul mayor." Minister Kim also said the two "confirmed their differences and will meet next week to sort things out." Because Yongsan Park, which spans 3 million square meters, is directly tied to Seoul's future competitiveness, social consensus should matter more than political logic.
Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said on the 20th, after paying respects at the grave of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan in Sejong, that he would "build the foundation for consecutive terms in power, looking ahead to 20 or 30 years of a golden age for the Democratic Party." Since taking office as party leader, Kim has visited the graves of the party's "elder statesmen" one after another, in what appears to be an effort to unify a party divided during its primary. That day, Kim also instructed Rep. Kim Nam-jun, whom he had appointed as the party's publicity committee chairman, to make hanging "Cho Hee-dae resign" banners nationwide his first task. As the new leader of the governing party, shouldn't communication come before confrontation with the opposition?
