Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate, are clashing over "villas" in their real estate supply plans. After Chong mentioned villas as a solution for supply, Oh's side criticized it as "not a fundamental remedy." Chong's side later countered that it reflects a "narrow view of housing."

Chong Won-o, Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor (left), and Oh Se-hoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, gaze in different directions in thought during the opening ceremony of the 44th Seoul Mayor's Cup Soccer Tournament at Hyochang Stadium in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd./Courtesy of News1

Park Yong-chan, Spokesperson for the Oh Se-hoon campaign committee, said on the 5th in a commentary titled "Villas instead of apartments?" that "Chong suggested that the rent crisis could be resolved in two to three years by supplying units using villas and the like," adding, "The core cause of the rent crisis is a shortage of supply."

He went on, "Shouldn't we find the fundamental solution in the cause of the problem?" and said, "There is criticism that the idea of supplying villas while leaving the fundamental cause of an 'absolute shortage of rental apartment units' unaddressed is not just complacent but an absurd, fourth-dimensional alternative."

The remarks flagged by Oh's side came at the "Seoul district head candidates' meeting" held the previous day at Chong's campaign office in Jung District, Seoul. Chong said, "(Oh) served as mayor for five years, so why didn't he prepare for the surge in rents?" and added, "The rent issue can be addressed in two to three years by formulating measures and supplying units using villas, officetels, and residential lodging facilities."

Chong's side also responded. Lee Ju-hee, Spokesperson for the Chong Won-o campaign committee, said in a commentary that "the so-called 'villa phobia' critique is not directed at citizens living in villas but is a criticism of Oh's narrow view of housing that insists only on apartments," adding, "A villa is clearly one form of housing."

She continued, "Although we should flexibly consider diverse housing forms depending on the situation, Oh is trapped in a uniform, apartment-only mindset, revealing fatal limits in the policy imagination and flexibility required of a Seoul mayor," and said, "It is truly crude to reduce Seoul's home price problem solely to a shortage of apartment supply."

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