Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon strongly opposed the government's consideration of housing development in Yongsan Children's Park, stating, "It should not be used for housing supply in any capacity."
During his closing remarks at a public forum on real estate normalization held at Seoul City Hall on August 6, Oh emphasized, "Yongsan Park must be preserved as green space for future generations, and I absolutely cannot agree to its use for housing supply."
In response to recent discussions about the potential for housing development in the Yongsan Children's Park area, he noted, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has stated that it has not considered such plans, but there are concerns that the central government is not discussing the utilization of state-owned land with the city of Seoul at all." He added, "There is a worry that this could lead to unilateral notifications regarding city-owned land without prior consultation."
Oh further stated, "Seoul, with a population of 10 million, must preserve and manage its green spaces to respond to climate change, such as heatwaves. Even if the Yongsan International Business District is developed, green spaces, including Yongsan Park, must be fully preserved for future generations."
Previously, the government had mentioned the possibility of housing development in the Yongsan Children's Park area as part of its efforts to expand housing supply. The park, which opened temporarily in 2023 on part of the land returned by the U.S. military, was speculated to be a candidate for housing development after the government lifted restrictions on the area last month.
Oh also expressed criticism of the government's redevelopment and reconstruction policies. He remarked, "I recently met with Kim Yong-beom, the head of the Presidential Office's Policy Office, to hear about the government's basic principles and philosophy regarding redevelopment projects. While the city of Seoul has been improving its systems to integrate and expedite redevelopment processes to supply housing within 12 years, I felt a fundamental difference in understanding when the President publicly stated that new supply would not increase through redevelopment projects."
He added, "The government explains that activating redevelopment projects will generate demand for relocation, but failing to pursue policies due to concerns about side effects is a reversal of priorities. The city can adequately manage projects that are due for relocation without stimulating the market, and it should not show hostility toward redevelopment projects for this reason."
Oh reiterated the need to revitalize the private rental market, stating, "Creating an environment that allows private rental suppliers to actively participate in the business through financial incentives, such as loans, is far more important than strengthening regulations. We cannot increase supply through regulations on private rental businesses; we must expand the supply base through incentives to address housing price stability and rental issues."
He concluded by saying, "When the government's housing supply measures are announced soon, the city of Seoul will actively cooperate in areas where it can assist, but policies for expanding supply must be pursued with sufficient consideration of market realities and supply conditions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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