[Inside Chodong]A Time For Responsible Governance

"The development of already completed buildings is my responsibility."

The late former Seoul Mayor Park Wonsoon, who kept Sebitseom closed for nearly three years, was nonetheless obsessed with making use of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Around 500 billion won was spent on constructing the building, and hundreds of billions of won are injected every year into its operation, but his calculation was that its "self-sufficiency" needed to be rapidly nurtured.

This did not mean former Mayor Park was fond of DDP. When he took office and inherited DDP, construction progress had already exceeded 50%, yet suspension and downsizing were both under review.

However, the final operating plan he chose is not very different from DDP's current operating direction. He converted the meeting- and exhibition-centered convention facilities into open studios that could host fashion shows and new product launches, thereby boosting utilization. As a result, DDP is now the only Seoul city public building that turns a profit and has become a highly profitable asset. Last year, DDP's financial self-sufficiency ratio was 104.2%. Since it first exceeded 100% in 2023, it has maintained an average of over 100% for three consecutive years.

Global brands such as Chanel and Dior, as well as prominent domestic and international figures including Alessandro Mendini, use it as an event venue. The effect of it being the "final work" of Zaha Hadid, winner of the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel Prize of architecture, continues to this day. In 2023, global consulting firm McKinsey even requested government-level cooperation, saying it would hold its World Management Conference at DDP, or otherwise move it to another country.

From Mayor Oh Sehoon to former Mayor Park and back again to Mayor Oh, today's DDP has taken shape. Although their views differed, this is the result of responsible governance shown by two people who each found their own answer to the question of how to make use of what was left behind.

This is also why the sudden emergence of calls to demolish DDP, 100 days before the local elections, is so bewildering. One ruling-party figure who has announced an intention to run for Seoul mayor has labeled DDP a "representative example of showcase-oriented administration" and says that after dismantling it, an arena will be built on the site. Concerns about demolition, time, and construction costs were brushed aside with talk of "attracting private investment." They also advanced the argument that if it is turned into a K-pop performance venue, baseball stadium, and soccer stadium, it could "make a huge amount of money."

There is some validity to the argument that DDP's economic impact has been overstated as its growth trajectory has coincided with the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Given the high vacancy rate of commercial properties around DDP, it is also hard to readily accept the claim that it has revitalized the entire Dongdaemun commercial district.

However, we must distinguish whether, in criticizing showcase-oriented administration, we are not simply proposing yet another form of showcase-oriented administration. The controversies and budget burdens during the construction phase are now part of history, and the priority should be to confront the practical issue of operation. Unlike Sebitseom, which stood idle for a time, DDP was steered toward increasing its utilization rate. This difference translated into financial performance.

A careful review of the performance data that the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been releasing one after another, and using it as the basis for any "demolition" argument, should be the starting point of public debate. Having poured 500 billion won into creating a landmark that is even generating profit, proponents must show the balance sheet of what can be gained by tearing it down. A cool-headed verification is needed that quantifies everything: the sunk cost of several hundred billion won, the already-formed industrial network, the tourism and MICE effects, and even the value of the city's image.

With Seoul just one step away from entering the global city competitiveness ranking's top five, there are unlikely to be many citizens who will quietly watch a key landmark in the city center be demolished. A city is like a living organism. Facilities and infrastructure that have already been built cannot be easily torn down. As time passes, strategies for maintenance, repair, and regeneration become even more important. Now is the time to reflect on what constitutes mature urban governance.