Expansion of Gwanghwamun Square... Ahn Cheol-soo Calls It "Hasty Administration," Oh Se-hoon Says "Overreach"

Seoul City Resumes Gwanghwamun Square Expansion Project

On the 17th, reconstruction work is underway at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. This project is part of Seoul City's initiative to create a "Gwanghwamun Square that is comfortable for people to rest and walk," with completion targeted for October next year. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 17th, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party and a potential presidential candidate from the opposition, and former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon simultaneously criticized Seoul City’s decision to proceed with the Gwanghwamun Square restructuring project, which involves a budget of approximately 80 billion KRW.

In a post on his Facebook page that day, Ahn said, "I don’t understand why they are pushing forward with construction that has already been decided to be reconsidered twice and was opposed by central government ministries under this administration," adding, "This is, in short, a model of ‘hasty administration,’ ‘non-communicative administration,’ and ‘legacy administration’ carried out without a mayor, without agreement with ministries, and without the consent of Seoul citizens."

He continued, "Seoul City insists that it has communicated with citizens for a long time regarding this project, but I question whether they have conducted any proper in-depth surveys with drivers using Gwanghwamun Boulevard or citizens using the square and pedestrian spaces," sarcastically adding, "Could it be that they mistake merely inviting pro-government civic groups to applaud and then ending the process as communication?"

He further emphasized, "The Gwanghwamun Square construction is not a project to be rushed through by an acting administration with only five months left in its term," and said, "Once the next mayor is elected, it is appropriate for the new administration to make decisions after hearing the opinions of citizens, urban planning experts, and the central government."

Ahn also pointed out, "The local tax burden per household in Seoul already exceeds 5.14 million KRW annually, so which citizen would accept pouring taxes into such a project?" He reiterated, "There are far too many projects that disguise private interests as public good and, in the process, provide practical and symbolic benefits to certain forces or individuals."

In conclusion, he urged, "Stop the project immediately and let the qualified new mayor chosen by Seoul citizens in five months decide after consulting the will of the citizens and experts."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Mayor Oh also expressed a negative stance on the forced continuation of the Gwanghwamun Square redevelopment project. Through his Facebook on the same day, he said, "Gwanghwamun Square is a historic public space for our nation. Therefore, a public discussion process involving all citizens is necessary."

He criticized, "Citizens do not know what the Gwanghwamun Square redevelopment project means or why it is being done," adding, "It is merely the stubbornness of one architect insisting that the square should be on one side rather than in the center, and 79.1 billion KRW of taxes are being spent on that."

He continued, "In a time when people are already struggling due to COVID-19, I want to ask who this construction is really for," and said, "Putting aside traffic overload, aesthetic imbalance, and waste of construction costs, the background of this reckless decision must be revealed."

He also remarked, "I hope it is not the case that one architect’s desire to push through his proposal is turning Gwanghwamun Square into a distorted space," and pointed out, "Why would the acting mayor take such a reckless step on a project that even the former mayor declared a full reconsideration of in May this year?"

Oh added, "I hope the rumors circulating that all these irrational decision-making processes stem from the influence of the Blue House, driven by the selfishness of one person who is a classmate of President Moon Jae-in and who has been said to have controlled urban architecture administration during Park Won-soon’s nine-year mayoral tenure, are not true."

Meanwhile, Seoul City announced on the 16th that it has begun construction to transform Gwanghwamun Square into a "square where people can rest and walk comfortably." This is the implementation of the plan announced last September to change the Gwanghwamun Square area, starting with the expansion of the east side (in front of the U.S. Embassy in Korea) lane and sequentially proceeding to the construction of a square on the west side (in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts).