Seohun Oh, 3 Hours of Debate on Deregulation... "Must Participate for Changes in Livelihood Issues" (Comprehensive)

"Land Transaction Permission Zone in Gangnam to be lifted soon"
Concerns over expanding free bus rides for seniors due to deficits

The regulatory reform citizen debate, personally planned by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon for the recovery of people’s livelihoods, concluded after about three hours. From regulations on construction and the housing market to traditional markets and small businesses, a variety of opinions poured in, and Mayor Oh responded to each one and instructed the staff to review them.

The debate held on the afternoon of the 14th at Seoul City Hall was conducted in a format where 100 citizens attending both on-site and online asked questions about regulations, and Mayor Oh, the vice mayors, and senior officials of grade 3 or higher responded immediately.

This debate marks the full-scale launch of Mayor Oh’s 100-day project to abolish regulations, under the slogan "Change or Die." One hundred Seoul citizens, vice mayors, and senior officials of grade 3 or higher all attended to engage in diverse discussions on policy improvement measures. Prior to the debate, from the 3rd to the 8th, Seoul City collected regulatory reform ideas on the citizen proposal platform "Sangsangdaero Seoul." As a result, a total of 111 proposals for regulatory abolition and 86 new policy ideas were received. The most citizen participation was in the category of absurd everyday regulations with 67 cases, followed by 56 cases in construction, housing, and urban planning, 47 in transportation, environment, and safety, and 27 in small business and self-employment sectors.

"Real estate has stabilized downward over the past three months... Land Transaction Permission Zone cancellation to be finalized soon"

The most notable message of the day was the cancellation of the Land Transaction Permission Zone near the Gangnam-gu International Exchange Complex District. Mr. Park, who has worked as a licensed real estate agent in Dogok-dong for 22 years, said, "The Gangnam-gu Land Transaction Permission Zone was designated due to concerns that land transactions could skyrocket related to the designation of the GBC (Global Business Center) zone, and it has been five years since it was designated in 2020." Mr. Park emphasized, "Even if the transaction volume in the designated zone decreases, the system does not only have the positive function of preventing price surges. In fact, a balloon effect has occurred where prices surge in other areas outside the designated zone," and added, "The abolition of the Land Transaction Permission system is a strong hope of the local community."

In response, Mayor Oh explained, "Since this Land Transaction Permission Zone system was introduced five years ago, many people have requested that it is an excessive regulation, questioning why there should be restrictions on buying and selling their own property, expressing grievances. We wanted to lift the regulation, but because real estate prices surged, we could not boldly remove it as it might fuel the price increase."

Mayor Oh assessed that conditions have been created to consider lifting the Land Transaction Permission Zone as the real estate market has stabilized. He said, "Experts believe that real estate prices, which surged sharply last year, have entered a downward stabilization trend over the past two to three months," and added, "We are also cautious about the possibility that real estate prices might continue to decline excessively." He continued, "Recently, the number of real estate transactions has decreased by about 30% monthly on average, and experts evaluate that there is a possibility of a real estate price slump. Because of this, Seoul City is actively reviewing the cancellation of the Land Transaction Permission Zone."

"Bus connection increases deficit... Maximizing benefits as a matter of choice"

Opinions closely related to people’s livelihoods also poured in. Suggestions included expanding leaf recycling and recycling product compensation systems, establishing sustainable recycle centers for small business owners, requests for providing restricted public spatial information, and creating jobs through smart farm cultivation in vacant commercial spaces. Mayor Oh conveyed his stance on each of these and instructed department heads to review them.

In particular, Mayor Oh expressed concerns about the huge deficit caused by extending free rides for seniors, currently applied only to the subway, to buses, but mentioned that he is considering discount programs that require significant investment. In response to the suggestion to link the subway senior pass to buses, he emphasized, "Public transportation is welfare. Within that framework, there is justification for providing free rides to seniors despite many deficits, and it is important to extend this to buses as well."

Of course, he expressed concerns about the massive financial input. Mayor Oh said, "Seoul City is experiencing deficits in public transportation, which are covered by citizens’ taxes. Currently, the deficit is 900 billion KRW, and extending free rides to buses would cost an additional 60 billion KRW." However, he judged this as "a matter of choice." Specifically, he explained, "We are thinking of programs where people are satisfied with the subway level, and for those who really need it, such as with the Climate Companion Card or those who need exceptional support, we are willing to make considerable investments to provide discounts." He promised, "We will continue to compare and prepare so that the maximum benefits can be provided."

Additionally, he revealed plans to review lifting the 'car-free street' section on Cheonggyecheon-ro after analyzing commercial district sales. Regarding Sinchon Yonsei-ro, similar complaints were received, and after conducting a policy experiment comparing sales changes in cooperation with the district office, it was judged that sales increased when passenger cars were allowed to pass. Mayor Oh responded, "We will decide whether to make changes based on scientific data."

In his closing remarks, Mayor Oh said, "Citizens spoke on behalf of those in the same or similar industries, and you gave us the opportunity to think about these issues, which will greatly help our staff in abolishing regulations going forward," and urged, "Please participate actively so that many changes can come to citizens’ livelihood issues."