Preliminary candidates for Seoul mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea held their first joint debate on the 19th. At the joint debate held at the SBS studio in Sangam, Seoul, candidates clashed over a range of policies including Seoul's real estate and transportation.
◇What to carry on and what to scrap from Oh Se-hoon's policies
The joint debate opened with a question asking which Seoul City policies should be carried on and which should be scrapped. The candidates picked "Shintong Planning" as a policy to carry on. Lawmaker Chun Hyeon-hee said, "Shintong Planning has not actually delivered on supply, but we will carry on the goal of speeding up the supply of dwellings."
Candidate Park Ju-min also said, "The attempt to integrate the approval procedures for reconstruction and redevelopment to speed them up is positive in itself," and candidate Chong Won-o said, "Reconstruction and redevelopment projects are pursued because residents want them. We will support them with 'Chakchak Development' so they can proceed more safely and swiftly." Candidate Kim Young-bae picked the Climate Companion Card program as a policy to carry on.
By contrast, the Han River bus was most frequently cited as a project to abolish. Candidate Kim Young-bae said, "The 180 billion won Han River bus and the 370 billion won Nodeulseom should be scrapped immediately," and candidate Park Ju-min said, "Rather than wasting additional finances on the Han River bus, we should shelve it and actively consider using those resources elsewhere."
◇Candidates spar over home price measures
Real estate drew the most heated debate. Candidate Park Ju-min criticized candidate Chong Won-o's "practical-sale dwellings" policy. Park said, "In the model where the public receives units from private development, the idea is not to take rental apartments going forward but to take for-sale apartments and supply them at 70%–80% of market prices," adding, "If that happens, won't the already hard-to-get public rental supply shrink further?"
In response, candidate Chong said, "As practical-sale dwellings increase, we can create rental dwellings at a set ratio." Park pressed again, saying, "Isn't that at odds with the Lee Jae-myung administration's policy direction to increase rental supply?"
Candidate Kim Young-bae said, "The most important role of the Seoul mayor is stabilizing the real estate market and supplying dwellings," proposing, "About 82% of Seoul's semi-industrial zones are clustered around Yeongdeungpo; let's focus development there."
Candidates Kim Young-bae and Chun Hyeon-hee also criticized candidate Chong's policy to give ward mayors the authority related to redevelopment and reconstruction. Kim said, "If we give ward mayors that authority, it will lead to extreme haphazard development," and Chun said, "There are concerns about piecemeal development, and consistent development will be difficult."
Park said, "We need to expand supply through a dual track of private and public," adding, "For the private sector, we need to make it possible to resolve even the issue of initial cost sharing." Candidate Kim Hyung-nam said, "Rents are surging sharply across Seoul," proposing, "By the mayor's authority, let's temporarily freeze the rent increase rate at 0% during the term."
Chun said, "The problem of the younger generation leaving Seoul is very serious," adding, "We are preparing a policy to build public rental dwellings for young people on public land in Gangnam, Seongdong and Yongsan."
◇What policies will ease Seoul residents' commuting discomfort?
Candidate Chong emphasized transportation policy. "A stop within 5 minutes of home, a transit hub within 10 minutes, a 30-minute commute" is Chong's transportation policy. Chong said, "Among the many inconveniences Seoul residents face, the biggest is commuting," adding, "Reducing commuting discomfort is the first job of the Seoul mayor."
Candidate Kim Young-bae agreed on strengthening transportation infrastructure, saying, "They say Geumcheon District has only four train stations, while Gangnam has 31," adding, "For everyday SOC, including the Gangbuk transverse line, district offices and the central government should band together for a massive investment."
Chun said, "Most of Seoul's rail projects are private-investment projects," adding, "With project costs soaring for various reasons, Seoul rail projects have stalled. To fix this, I introduced a bill to apply the construction cost index to private-investment projects in the same way as to fiscal projects." Other measures to improve the semi-public bus system were also discussed.