Democratic Party of Korea candidate Chong Won-o and People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon are trading barbs over completion records for redevelopment zones in Seongdong District. The dispute arose after Oh's camp claimed Seongdong had zero completions, and Chong's camp countered that this was "false information," citing a regional housing cooperative project. Oh's side hit back, saying the concepts of regional housing cooperative projects and redevelopment projects are different.

Chong Won-o (right), Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor, and Oh Se-hoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, speak at a Kwanhun Club invitational debate at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 20th./Courtesy of News1

Oh Se-hoon's election committee released materials on the 24th saying, "Chong was asked about redevelopment projects, but argued back that there were results from regional housing cooperative projects," adding, "Does Chong not know the concept of redevelopment projects? Regional housing cooperative projects do not have the concept of a redevelopment zone."

Unlike general redevelopment and reconstruction, where a redevelopment plan designates a redevelopment zone, regional housing cooperative projects can proceed without a designated zone, according to Oh's camp. They also argued that regional housing cooperative projects are designated as special planning zones, a concept clearly distinct from redevelopment zones.

Oh Se-hoon's election committee also said of the Cheonggye regional housing cooperative project cited by Chong's camp, "It is nothing more than the city of Seoul amending a district unit plan for the Shift long-term jeonse housing near transit stations," adding, "Chong claims there were redevelopment completions during his term, but those were projects designated as zones before his tenure. This is not just answering beside the point—it is hijacking achievements."

Earlier, Chong Won-o's election committee, responding to the criticism of a "0% completion record," issued a statement saying, "The claim by Oh's camp is clearly false information," adding, "A regional housing cooperative designated as a special planning zone in Nov. 2016 was completed in May and Nov. 2025."

It added, "When District Chief Chong Won-o took office in 2014, there were a total of 21 redevelopment zones with 25,000 households designated, and since then, 12 zones with 12,613 households have been completed," explaining, "During District Chief Chong's term, more than about half of the households in the redevelopment zones were completed."

Chong Won-o's election committee also emphasized, "After taking office, Chong actively supported the progress of projects in zones designated as redevelopment and completed 12 sites within around 10 years," adding, "This is a far better record than the general project period of roughly at least 15 to 20 years."

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