Is Reconstruction Speeding Up Because of Cho Kuk's Survival? ... Seocho District Mayor Says "Minister's Influence Absolutely Doesn't Work"

Clash Between Cho Kuk and Kim Woong on SNS Leads Seocho District Mayor to Step In
"We Are Not a Local Government That Moves at a Minister's Phone Call"
Bitter Words for Government Too: "Please, We Beg for Communication"

Jo Eun-hee, Seocho District Mayor

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] When former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and Future United Party lawmaker Kim Woong engaged in a public dispute over the reconstruction issue of an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seocho-gu Mayor Cho Eun-hee pointed out, "Seocho-gu is not a local government that changes its stance based on a single phone call from a minister."

On the 14th, Mayor Cho wrote on her Facebook, "After seeing reports that former Minister Cho and lawmaker Kim had a public dispute over the apartment reconstruction issue in our Seocho-gu, as the head of the jurisdictional district office, I felt the need to clarify the facts, so I am making this statement."

Earlier, on the 11th, lawmaker Kim criticized the government on Facebook for blocking apartment reconstruction, saying, "Did reconstruction raise housing prices? The administration did, so why should all the responsibility fall on the people?" He added, "If the people trying to reconstruct are the deep-rooted evils, then what is Professor Cho Kuk?"

The reason lawmaker Kim pointed at former Minister Cho was because Cho’s apartment in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, received reconstruction approval in May. In response, former Minister Cho posted on Facebook the next day, saying, "A first-term lawmaker is already using the old-fashioned 'noise marketing' tactic," and "I had no involvement whatsoever in the (reconstruction approval) process."

Mayor Cho explained that former Minister Cho did not intervene to speed up the reconstruction. She said, "I understand how deep lawmaker Kim’s distrust of former Minister Cho must be to think that way, but in reality, former Minister Cho never took any action related to the project implementation approval of the apartment where he resides with Seocho-gu."

She added, "I want to make it clear that Seocho-gu is not an administrative agency that changes its stance on reconstruction permits, which involve residents’ precious property rights, just because someone in power much stronger than former Minister Cho makes a phone call." She emphasized, "This is also a matter of pride for Seocho-gu office employees, Seocho-gu residents, and more broadly, Seoul citizens."

Mayor Cho said, "Therefore, any mention that reconstruction is proceeding faster because former Minister Cho lives there is completely unrelated to the facts," and "no one’s influence will ever work here."

Mayor Cho also evaluated the government’s real estate policies.

She criticized, "Please communicate properly. The government announced unilaterally, as if conducting a military operation, that it would build 1,600 public rental and public sale housing units on the National Diplomatic Academy site and the Seoul Regional Public Procurement Service site in Seocho-gu. There was not a single consultation with Seocho-gu."

She continued, "But Seocho-gu was not the only one isolated," adding, "Mayors from ruling party local governments such as Mapo, Nowon, Gwacheon, and even pro-Moon lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae protested. Cooperation with the opposition party is out of the question, and even communication within the same party did not happen, so this government’s real estate policy is bound to continue to falter."