Chong Won-o, the Seongdong District chief and a leading contender for Seoul mayor, is at odds with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, saying redevelopment and reconstruction are being delayed because the city is dragging its feet.
On the 15th, according to the maintenance industry and others, Chong has been stressing the need to push maintenance projects quickly in recent days. On the 10th, at a press briefing to mark the publication of his book "Seongsu-dong," held at PUBG Seongsu in Seongdong District, Chong said, "No matter who becomes mayor, maintenance projects need to move fast, and all administrative bodies should back that up so it can happen," adding, "It would be good to speed things up by holding the Seoul City Urban Planning Committee review once a week, or more often if needed; if not, I would like to see projects under 500 or 1,000 households delegated to the district office for review so we can go even faster."
Regarding the issue of transferring to district offices such powers as Seoul's architectural review authority, Chong reiterated, "The 1,000 urban maintenance projects across Seoul currently all have to go through the Seoul Urban Planning Committee and the Architectural Committee, but how can committees that meet twice a month handle that?" and "That is why I proposed sharing some of that authority with the district offices."
Chong and officials in the government and ruling bloc argue that to speed up maintenance projects, Seoul's authority to designate maintenance zones should be transferred to district offices. Under the current Act on the Maintenance and Improvement of Urban Areas and Dwelling Conditions for Residents, in Seoul the basic maintenance plan is established by the city every 10 years. The district chief drafts the designation of a maintenance zone, but the final decision rests with the city. As a result, handling maintenance work for 25 district offices in one place creates bottlenecks, prompting criticism that this is disrupting the supply of dwellings.
The city of Seoul counters that the introduction of the "Shintong Planning" has shortened maintenance project timelines. Unlike before, residents, district offices, City Hall, and experts gather in one place to draw up a Shintong plan and can immediately resolve permitting issues. The city also claims that by integrating reviews for various permits such as architecture, urban planning, landscape, traffic, and education, it has reduced the average time for redevelopment and reconstruction projects from the previous 18 years and 6 months to as little as 12 years.
Oh said, "Looking at results from the past three years, the average processing period for the Maintenance Project Urban Planning Authority Subcommittee is 84 days," adding, "The integrated review of maintenance projects conducted before project implementation approval is also wrapped up in an average of 32 days." He continued, "The integrated review that bundles seven to nine individual reviews into one is also a system the city proposed to the government," adding, "Moreover, under the current legal framework, most permitting authority for maintenance projects already lies with the district offices."
According to the city of Seoul, from 2023 to Nov. 21, 2025, the average processing period of the Urban Planning Authority Subcommittee for maintenance zone designation was 84 days, with 13 of 130 items on the agenda deferred, for an approval rate of 90%.
A maintenance industry official said, "Both are alike in that they are proactive about maintenance projects such as reconstruction and redevelopment," but added, "Unlike Oh, who fronts city remodeling projects such as the Han River bus, Chong has focused on practical, community-centered models such as free shuttle buses for public facilities in Seongdong District, so a full-fledged clash over development philosophy appears likely."