Oh Se-hoon: "Democratic Party Responsible for Gangbuk Redevelopment Stagnation"

"A Seoul with Homes"
Not an Impossible Future

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attributed the sluggish progress of redevelopment and reconstruction projects to politicians from the Democratic Party of Korea, and announced plans to create large-scale residential complexes in the Gangbuk area on the scale of new towns.

On October 8, Mayor Oh stated on Facebook, "Before I returned to Seoul City Hall, a total of 105 out of 319 redevelopment promotion districts across Seoul were lifted, and among them, 59 were in the Gangbuk area," adding, "This was a significant reason why Seoul had to endure a severe supply drought."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is speaking at the Seoul Honorary Mayor Appointment Ceremony and Talk Concert held in the main conference room of Seoul City Hall on the 15th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

He argued that responsibility for the stagnation of redevelopment and reconstruction lies with the Democratic Party of Korea, which has held the majority of seats in various elections in the Gangbuk area.

Mayor Oh criticized, "What I find most regrettable is the Gangbuk area, where the clock on residential improvement projects has stopped for a long time. If there had been more active interest and effort, the pace and results of Gangbuk’s development could have been different," adding, "Many politicians who were chosen by Gangbuk voters must deeply reflect on this."

He went on to announce that the city would accelerate projects by eliminating redevelopment and reconstruction regulations.

Mayor Oh stated, "Seoul City has drastically removed regulations, such as increasing the standard floor area ratio in the Mia 2 redevelopment promotion district from 20% to up to 30%, and expanding the legal maximum floor area ratio by up to 1.2 times. Seoul City is focusing its administrative capacity on breaking ground for 4,003 units in the Mia 2 district in the first half of 2030."

He also said, "'A Seoul with homes' is not an impossible future. Gangbuk will change first, and eventually, Seoul will change as well."