[Interview with Oh Se-hoon] ① "Seoul Urban Planning Also a New Start... What the Person in Charge of City Administration Should Do"

Yongsan as a Blank Canvas Space
Strong Willingness to Actively Participate in Development

Plan to Diligently Carry Out Basic Work for One Year to Break Wrong Practices and Address Real Estate Issues

If Reelected for the Fourth Term, Public Housing Will Be Prioritized

Asia Exclusive_Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

"Yongsan is a pivotal point and core space that envisions the future of a new Seoul. In that sense, it is a place where the person in charge of Seoul's administration in the future must steadily draw the blueprint for 10 or 20 years."

In an interview with Asia Economy, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "Moving the political center to Yongsan is a new beginning when looking at the entire urban planning of Seoul." Mayor Oh expressed his willingness to actively participate in development, saying, "Yongsan is a space where all possibilities can be filled on a blank canvas," and "From the perspective of the mayor planning the city, it is worth looking forward to." The related content is summarized in a Q&A format.

- It has already been a year since you were elected in the April 7 by-election.

△ When I ran for election last year, I set a five-year plan and said that the first year would be a period for groundwork. The past year was a period faithful to that plan. I worked mainly on three major pillars: correcting the wrong practices established during the previous mayor’s term, setting the vision for Seoul and laying the foundation with the 'Seoul Vision 2030' master plan, and conducting groundwork to solve real estate issues that citizens consider important.

- If you were to evaluate yourself over the past year, what score would you give?

△ Unfortunately, I can only give myself 50 points. There were more things I couldn’t accomplish than those I did. How many goals did I set? However, many who would obviously oppose strongly in the city council prevented me from even bringing up most of them. For example, the 'Seoul Run (Seoul-type Education Platform)' project was a desperate measure to close the learning gap for children from low-income families, but the city council fiercely opposed it and cut the budget. As a result, the platform could not be created. I hope citizens understand the reality that as long as such phenomena repeat, the vision of the Seoul mayor will be difficult to realize in 10 years.

- What is your evaluation of the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan?

△ Although the current utilization plan for the Ministry of National Defense building looks clumsy, depending on future plans, it could take a form similar to the National Mall in Washington. Depending on how each part is filled in, it can become a core space that draws the future of a new Seoul.

- How are you envisioning the new Yongsan?

△ When Gangnam was built as a planned city in the past, a representative failure was the inability to create a green ecological downtown. At that time, people were busy making a living, so urban planning was done only from a practical perspective driven by economic logic. Gangnam only has parks like Seolleung Park and Dosan Park. Personally, I find that regrettable. I have the idea of creating a new face for Seoul related to Yongsan development. I want to make Yongsan’s international business district a green ecological downtown.

- You have officially declared your challenge for a fourth term. What is your outlook on the Seoul mayoral election on June 1?

△ Local elections tend to have low voter turnout. Although turnout is low, due to the sense of loss or deprivation from the last presidential election defeat, the Democratic Party’s support base is likely to consolidate. On the other hand, the right-wing camp may experience some relaxation and complacency because they won the presidential election. It will be a difficult election.

- Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil has announced his intention to run. What do you think?

△ Song and I started politics around the same time and are politicians of the same generation, so we talk openly when we meet. It seems noisy within the Democratic Party regarding the Seoul mayoral candidacy. Nevertheless, the Democratic Party will not give up on the Seoul election. They are likely to try their best to field a strong candidate, so a formidable opponent is expected.

- If you succeed in your fourth term, what policy would you prioritize?

△ I will overhaul the public (rental) housing issue on a large scale. Currently, public housing regulations require the use of only small and medium-sized enterprise products for standard materials and interior finishes, whereas sale housing uses large corporation products. It is time to sequentially demolish and rebuild public housing that has passed its 40-year building lifespan. Future newly built public housing will have 1.5 times larger living space than before, and the quality of major finishing materials and equipment used will be raised to the level of sale housing.

Interview by So Jong-seop, Politics & Society Editor

Compiled by Lee Hyun-joo and Kim Min-young

▶Exclusive Interview with Oh Se-hoon

-Oh Se-hoon: "No setbacks in the relocation of the presidential office and Yongsan development"

-[Oh Se-hoon Interview] ① "A new start for Seoul urban planning... The task of the person in charge of city administration"

-[Oh Se-hoon Interview] ② "Self-evaluation after 1 year: 50 points... More things left undone"

-[Oh Se-hoon Interview] ③ "If elected, I will first improve the quality of public rental housing"