Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor, and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, visited redevelopment sites around Seoul and clashed over the issue of dwellings supply.
On the 7th, Oh visited areas designated under his signature real estate policy, the "Rapid Integrated Planning (Shintong Planning)" candidate sites, and criticized the government and Chong, saying, "It has become difficult both to own and to sell a home, but no one takes responsibility."
The place Oh visited that day was a Shintong Planning candidate site in Guui 2-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Shintong Planning is a core project in the dwellings and architecture sectors that Oh has implemented since 2021, a system in which the Seoul Metropolitan Government intervenes at the early stage of privately led redevelopment and reconstruction to support rapid progress by crafting a maintenance plan that combines business viability and public interest.
Oh said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration raised the officially assessed land prices in Seoul, inevitably increasing the property holding tax," adding, "Even if you try to sell your home, they say they will impose heavy capital gains taxes, and you cannot get bank loans, making it impossible for newlyweds and young people to buy homes."
He went on, "This happened because of Lee Jae-myung's excessive desire to win public approval for having curbed real estate before and after the election through loan restrictions and heavy taxation," and said, "Chong, who was chosen as the 'Myung-pick,' should take the lead in solving the problem by conveying market conditions to the president and securing a pledge to reconsider abolishing the special long-term holding deduction (Jangteukgong)."
In the afternoon, Chong visited a public redevelopment site in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and criticized Oh, saying, "You have served as mayor for five years, and you did not keep your promise made four years ago to supply 80,000 units of dwellings each year."
The place Chong visited was the Geoyeo Saemaeul District, a redevelopment site in Songpa-gu, Seoul. This area is the only public redevelopment among the three Gangnam districts (Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa) where the project is moving forward quickly.
At the site, Chong said, "They say the integrated review was resolved in three months and the project review in two months here," adding, "In the end, how fast and how steadily a maintenance project proceeds depends on hands-on administration, and this is precisely Chong Won-o's 'Chakchak Development.'"
He continued, "When I was Seongdong-gu district head, among private redevelopment projects, we once formed an association within a year of receiving zone designation by using the system for direct establishment of an association," adding, "Whether designated under the Moa Town initiative or carried out by a previous mayor, the core of the 'Chakchak Pledge' is to provide support by connecting the consistency of administration so it is safer and faster."
Regarding Oh's criticism, "If apartments are in short supply, do you think building villas will suffice?" Chong said, "(Oh) did not even keep what he promised," adding, "Four years ago, he said he would supply 80,000 units of dwellings each year, but he did not even reach half of that, 40,000 units. That means apartments, villas and officetels were not supplied across the board."