The Democratic Party of Korea has been raising "real estate accountability" toward Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayor, day after day. It says responsibility for supplying dwellings in downtown areas lies more with the Seoul city government than the central government. It also urged Oh to take part in discussions on dwelling supply measures with the government and the National Assembly.
Han Byeong-do, acting Democratic Party leader and floor leader, said at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 13th, "The People Power Party pours out criticism as if it were someone else's problem, without responsible reflection on the previous administration's supply slump," adding, "Mayor Oh is no different."
He added, "Mayor Oh won the 2021 Seoul mayoral election on a pledge to supply 360,000 dwellings, but from 2022 to 2024, Seoul's dwelling permits, groundbreakings, and completions have been woefully insufficient," and said, "At this level, it is hard to avoid criticism that it is supply in words only."
Han also said, "I hope Mayor Oh and the People Power Party will join in broad cooperation for stabilizing people's housing," adding, "Today (the 13th) the government will announce dwelling supply measures. The Democratic Party will convene a general assembly of lawmakers right after the announcement to share the government plan and widely gather lawmakers' opinions."
Democratic Party lawmakers from Seoul districts also held a meeting on the morning of the same day and raised the question of accountability for Mayor Oh. Regarding "Shintong Plan," Oh's signature dwelling policy, they criticized it as "a project to build up his own political achievements."
Rep. Kim Young-bae, mentioned as the next head of the Democratic Party's Seoul chapter, said in his opening remarks, "I cannot hide my disappointment seeing Mayor Oh's brazen, blame-shifting attitude," adding, "When citizens rebuke that supply has not happened, he is busy dodging responsibility by blaming the previous mayor for everything."
After the meeting, Rep. Kim Nam-geun told reporters, "The reason dwelling supply decreased is that Shintong Plan, Mayor Oh's political brand, failed to focus administrative capacity on closely connected steps such as designating zones, establishing associations, and starting construction." Rep. Oh Ki-hyeong also said, "Blaming others will not solve the problem, and Mayor Oh needs to recognize that as well."