Jung Wono: "Oh Sehoon Was the Architect of the New Town Exit, Stop Blaming the Past"

Seongdong District Mayor Directly Criticizes Mayor Oh on Facebook
Also Points Out Reversal of Land Transaction Permit System

Jung Wono, Mayor of Seongdong District, directly criticized Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon on January 6, saying, "Stop blaming the past and take responsibility for the present."

On this day, Mayor Jung stated on Facebook, "Mayor Oh, in an interview, attributed Seoul's real estate problems to 'the 10 years of darkness under former Mayor Park Wonsoon' and described proposals to improve the 'Shintong Planning' system as 'shameless and brazen.' Despite being in office for six years, he still blames the 'previous mayor,'" he pointed out.

Jung Wono, Mayor of Seongdong District. Provided by Seongdong District.

He continued, "What those responsible for housing policy should do is manage supply and demand in a balanced way. Supply should be managed predictably, and demand should be stabilized so as not to send excessive signals to the market. However, Mayor Oh has repeatedly made the opposite choices," he criticized.

Mayor Jung specifically pointed out that Mayor Oh himself initiated the lifting of the New Town designation. He said, "From his first term in 2008, Mayor Oh established the New Town Committee, and on April 14, 2011, he personally announced the 'Five Key Directions for New Residential Redevelopment,' stating that he would avoid redevelopment and reconstruction focused on apartments. At the time, headlines read, 'Comprehensive Exit Strategy for New Towns Begins in Crisis.'"

He continued, "Mayor Oh was the first to lift the New Town designation. Just before leaving office, on May 12, 2011, Seoul City officially announced that a total of 31 locations, covering 497,000 square meters, would be designated as areas to be lifted." Mayor Jung emphasized, "Mayor Oh was the architect of the New Town exit and the first to implement the exit strategy. While former Mayor Park Wonsoon is not free from responsibility, shifting all the blame to 'the previous mayor's 10 years' is unconvincing."

He also pointed out the failure to manage demand. Mayor Jung said, "Last February, the land transaction permit system in Gangnam was completely lifted, only to be reinstated and expanded to the three Gangnam districts and Yongsan District in March-a reversal in just 35 days, which caused Seoul housing prices to fluctuate significantly. Many citizens question whether this was the result of policy deliberation or a politically motivated decision."

He also raised an issue with Mayor Oh's response to his proposal to expand the authority to designate small- and medium-scale redevelopment and reconstruction projects, in which Mayor Oh said, "Since this is a race for speed, we cannot delegate authority to the district offices." Mayor Jung said, "It is hard to accept the logic that speed is necessary, but achieving speed is problematic. Alternatives should be presented, such as holding the Seoul Urban Planning Committee more frequently or shortening the advance consultation period for Shintong Planning."

Mayor Jung stated, "Managing market expectations has become crucial in real estate policy," and added, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government should speak with one consistent voice on predictable supply measures and sensitive policies such as the land transaction permit system."

He said, "I agree with Mayor Oh's statement that 'local elections are about voting for the future' and that 'the mayor's office is a place for work, not politics.' If so, politicians should stop shaking citizens' lives for the sake of holding onto their positions and stop engaging in politics that stimulate housing prices for electoral gain." He added, "I cannot help but question whether the repeated 'blame-the-past politics' since the 2021 by-election is consistent with today's remarks. Speaking of the future while only invoking the past appears to be an evasion of responsibility."