Jung Wono Criticizes Oh Sehoon's Unilateral Push for Jongmyo Redevelopment and Han River Bus, Saying It Creates Conflict and Politicizes Issues

Ruling Party Seoul Mayoral Contender Jung Wono Criticizes Oh Sehoon
"Jongmyo Redevelopment: Rushing Ahead Has Led to a Deadlock"
"Han River Bus: Ignored Experts and Relied on Arbitrary Judgment"

Jung Wono, Mayor of Seongdong District and a potential candidate for the Seoul mayoral race within the ruling party, criticized Mayor Oh Sehoon's push for the Jongmyo redevelopment project. He stated, "This was an issue that could have been pursued with sufficient consensus, but by pushing it unilaterally, it created conflict and turned into a political dispute." In an interview on CBS Radio's "Park Jaehong's One Shot Match" on the 24th, Mayor Jung said, "The Jongmyo redevelopment project has now reached a point where it can neither move forward nor backward."

Jung Wono, Mayor of Seongdong District. The Asia Business Daily DB

Mayor Jung acknowledged, "Even if there is an existing agreement, as mayor, new plans can be proposed," but added, "In that case, it is necessary to persuade those who were part of the original agreement as to why a new plan is needed and move forward together." He continued, "Because the agreement was broken unilaterally and the project proceeded, there are people who see this as problematic," and assessed, "A problem that could have been resolved easily has been made difficult and complicated, resulting in a situation where no progress can be made."

When asked how he would resolve the issue if he were mayor, he replied, "There is a system called World Heritage Impact Assessment." He explained, "Even when constructing a single building, we conduct traffic and environmental impact assessments. At that time, various opinions from stakeholders emerge. By gathering all these opinions and deliberating with experts, we can identify the optimal solution." He added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government did not attempt this, saying it would take time," and emphasized, "No matter how urgent things are, you cannot thread a needle without following the proper steps. Even if you are in a hurry, following principles and procedures allows for faster progress. But looking at the current situation, by ignoring procedures in an attempt to speed things up, it is actually causing more delays."

Regarding Mayor Oh's "Han River Bus" project, which he is also pushing forward, Jung said, "As mayor, it is possible to try various initiatives," but pointed out, "The problem is that the opinions of experts and citizens should have been sufficiently heard and reflected, but this too was done unilaterally." He added, "Experts have said it is dangerous or simply not feasible as a means of transportation, but the project continued based on arbitrary judgment alone."

Regarding whether he will run in next year's local elections, Jung said, "Many citizens have expressed that they would like to see Jung Wono serve as mayor of Seoul, so I am giving it serious consideration," and added, "As the current district mayor, there are important matters I must address, so I will make a decision in December."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.