Oh Se-hoon: "Yongsan Park housing cannot break ground under the current administration"

[Financial News] Seoul Metropolitan City Mayor Oh Se-hoon reiterated his opposition to housing supply on the main site of Yongsan Park, arguing that construction cannot begin during the current administration's term. However, he left room for compromise with the government, saying that housing in Yongsan International Business District (YIBD) could accommodate up to 8,000 households on the condition that school sites are secured. He also dismissed a proposal to transfer redevelopment project designation authority to autonomous districts, calling it "an extremely unrealistic claim."
At a city council interpellation session on the 27th, Oh said in response to a question from People Power Party council member Cha In-young about Yongsan Park, "No mayor of any major city in the world would agree if a site originally designated as park land were converted into residential land simply to escape a sharp surge in real estate prices."
He also cited the earlier Yongsan Park development process as grounds for his opposition. Oh explained, "When the Yongsan Park declaration ceremony was held under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, I did not attend as a sign of protest because I knew there was a plan to sell part of the main site and use the proceeds for relocation costs." He added, "I made it clear that unless the Special Act on Yongsan Park was enacted and it was guaranteed that the main site would never be touched under any circumstances, the Seoul mayor could not agree to that master plan."
He then said, "To dismiss this as if I were simply drawing a line because of political interests is a truly petty view."
Oh said his view was that even if Yongsan Park were used as residential land, it would not lead to supply in the short term. He stated, "Because the Special Act on Yongsan Park prohibits any work on the main site, the law would have to be changed. The U.S. military must also complete its full relocation, and that timing has not yet been set." He added, "If you consider detailed soil surveys and permitting procedures, construction cannot begin under this government."
He added, "That is why I was able to propose an alternative for the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center on the premise of housing supply 10 years from now."
He left open the possibility of negotiation with the government over housing supply in YIBD. Oh said, "We had already agreed on 6,000 units, and by making a concession, 8,000 units is possible." He added, "However, that must be based on the premise that school sites are secured. Under the law, unfortunately, school land has not been secured."
He continued, "It is important to argue for 10,000 units, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also knows that speed is important. The minister also shares the view that 'speed is a truly important value.'" He said, "I am now seeing the possibility of reaching an agreement, so please watch closely."
He also reaffirmed his negative stance on transferring authority over redevelopment project designations to autonomous districts. When People Power Party council member Choi Jong-bu asked about the time required for Seoul Metropolitan Government review, Oh said, "Over the past four to five years, we integrated and shortened the review process, and urban planning reviews or integrated reviews are all completed within one to three months." He added, "The claim that there is a bottleneck is detached from reality."
He also pointed out, "A lot of district mayors from the Democratic Party of Korea have been elected, and I think they are under the illusion that if they take over the authority, things will proceed more efficiently." He added, "There are very few dedicated staff members in district offices, and there are no unified standards across autonomous districts. They have not even considered the confusion and conflict that would arise from that."

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