Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who accused the government of going around him to take away City Hall's power over small redevelopment projects, speaks at a policy seminar at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 25.JANG JIN-YOUNG
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Tuesday called a government and ruling party plan to shift some authority over small redevelopment and reconstruction projects from City Hall to district offices "dangerous armchair policymaking," arguing that it would do little to speed housing supply.
The ruling Democratic Party (DP), which won 17 of the capital's 25 district chief posts in the June local elections, said Sunday that it would pursue legislation transferring approval authority over projects of 500 units or fewer to district chiefs after a high-level meeting with the government. The party says the change would shorten approval times and speed housing construction.
Oh, considered a presidential contender for the People Power Party (PPP), disagrees.
"Decisions made under Seoul's urban planning authority have to consider, from a citywide perspective, all the potential side effects," Oh said to reporters after a policy seminar hosted by PPP Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, western Seoul. "Instead, politicians suddenly announced an improvised, campaign-style proposal without weighing the arguments for and against it."
"A redevelopment project goes through nine stages, from designating a redevelopment zone and forming an association through reviews and the start of construction," the mayor said. "Seoul handles only the review of the zone designation and the integrated project review. District chiefs already handle the rest. Claiming projects will move faster if Seoul hands those procedures to district chiefs misleads people who do not know how the system works and is divorced from reality."
Oh also accused Prime Minister Han Seong-sook of bypassing City Hall after President Lee Jae Myung had called for consultations with the mayor.
"After I raised this at a Cabinet meeting, the president told the prime minister to discuss it properly with the Seoul mayor," Oh said. "Then I watched her bypass me, gather district chiefs and develop the plan based on suggestions made there. I thought this was a deeply problematic government."
Yongsan Park, which the government wants to open to housing and which Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has refused to give up, in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 25.NEWS1
"The side effects are clear," Oh said. "Seoul functions as one urban area. If districts are made to compete with one another, how are we supposed to overcome disparities between them? This is truly deplorable government behavior."
Oh also proposed the Tancheon Water Recycling Center site in southern Seoul as an alternative as the government considers using parts of Yongsan Park in central Seoul for housing development.
"It can accommodate more housing and has better residential amenities, including transportation," Oh said. "This is not a hastily assembled alternative. If the government helps, we can build quickly. I hope the Yongsan Park approach is dropped and this alternative is discussed seriously."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
