Ruling Party Wavers Between Yongsan and Tancheon as It Weighs Housing Supply Plan

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea appears to be wavering between Yongsan in Seoul and Tancheon in southern Seoul as a possible site for housing supply. The party is struggling to decide whether to move forward with Yongsan Park, a key site in the Lee Jae-myung administration's housing supply plan, or with the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center site proposed as an alternative by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
According to Financial News reporting on the 30th, a negative mood toward housing supply using Yongsan Park is being detected within parts of the Democratic Party of Korea. The basis for that view is the same as Oh's: green space in Seoul should be preserved.
One Democratic Party lawmaker representing a district in Seoul said, "Using green space in the city center, where citizens can rest, as a housing supply site should be approached with caution." The lawmaker added, "Once green space is torn up, it is effectively impossible to restore it. This must be carefully considered." Even the ruling party is not fully aligned with the government's supply plan.
Some Democratic Party lawmakers are also skeptical of the government's claim that only part of Yongsan Park would be used. Their view is that even if development is limited to a specific site, the impact would spread to nearby areas, making it only a matter of time before the entire park is developed. They say an alternative that can dispel concerns about damage to the whole green space is urgently needed.
The Democratic Party is also negative about Oh's proposal to supply housing by using the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center site, as it opposes using Yongsan Park. The reason is that, given the urgent need for housing supply, it would take at least 10 years just to secure approval for the project implementation plan and begin construction at the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center.
At a meeting on the 27th with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and district heads from Seoul, Kim Young-bae, the Democratic Party's Seoul city committee chair, pushed back against Oh's proposal to use the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center site. He said, "Only empty political claims are being repeated, saying it might be possible only 10 years from now. This is opposition for the sake of opposition."
As confusion grows within the ruling party over the use of the Yongsan and Tancheon sites, the leadership says it will make its decision while keeping all possibilities open.
In a written briefing on the 28th, Democratic Party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young said, "A review through public discussion is needed for the rational use of damaged areas centered on Yongsan Park, and for the use of the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center, the site's effectiveness, feasibility and the realistic hurdles of relocation must be assessed." Floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Han Byung-do also said at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on the 27th, "We need to find ways to use Tancheon for young people and ordinary citizens, and Yongsan for Yongsan's needs." He added, "If there is a place where the necessary housing can be secured, we should keep all possibilities open and examine them."

[email protected] Kim Hyung-gu Reporter