After the government rolled out a plan to supply 60,000 dwellings in key sites across the Seoul metropolitan area, including the Yongsan International Business District in Seoul, Taereung CC, and the racetrack in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, pushback is mounting on multiple fronts. Contrary to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's position that it is "continuing sufficient consultations," opposition is strong from the Seoul city government, the Gwacheon city government, and local residents.
On the 30th, the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) labor union urged the immediate withdrawal of development plans for the Gwacheon Race Park site in a statement regarding the housing supply plan using public land. They said it was "a textbook case of unilateral, uncommunicative administration carried out without any consultation with the public institution directly involved," adding, "We will never sit by as impatience ahead of the election shakes the roots of the horse industry, a national key industry, and tramples on the livelihood rights of 24,000 workers."
The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) labor union stressed that the Gwacheon Race Park is not merely a development site but a core leisure and culture asset in the metropolitan area visited by 4.2 million people annually. They particularly warned that the ecosystem of the 24,000 workers and the commercial district around the racetrack could collapse. There have been prior discussions about a transfer of the racetrack, but they have repeatedly fallen through. On the 29th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) also said regarding the racetrack that it is "reviewing a relocation within Gyeonggi Province," but did not specify any concrete candidates.
Local resident online communities in Yongsan District, including Seobu Ichon-dong adjacent to the Yongsan International Business District, are seeing posts encouraging people to file civil petitions opposing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's decision to supply 10,000 dwellings. They are running a campaign to submit petitions to the government's online civil complaint portal, pointing out concerns such as the potential weakening of the international business district's office and commercial core functions and the possibility of traffic congestion and infrastructure overload. There are also calls to file information disclosure requests against the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the list of officials who took part in drawing up countermeasures, the basis for calculating 10,000 dwellings, and records of consultations with related agencies.
Seoul and Gwacheon, which have jurisdiction over key candidate sites in this plan, have already said they cannot accept what they called a "unilateral notice without prior consultation." The Seoul city government said, "We express deep concern that this plan excludes the minimum preconditions the city proposed," adding, "A unilateral plan that excludes on-the-ground conditions and residents' views will become an empty promise repeating the failures of the Moon Jae-in administration." On the 23rd, the Gwacheon city government also said, "We clearly oppose the designation of additional dwelling supply sites in Gwacheon, in line with our citizens," drawing a line that the volume of dwelling supply has reached its limit.
But the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) keeps repeating its stance that it is cooperating with them despite the circumstances. At a pre-briefing the previous day, Lee Jae-pyeong, director of dwelling supply policy at the dwelling supply promotion headquarters of the ministry, said, "We also announced a supply plan five years ago, but because there was not enough prior consultation, not only residents but also related ministries pushed back. This time, we did a lot of groundwork to prevent that." Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said, "There are some points of disagreement with the Seoul city government, but we are continuing consultations," and "We are also sufficiently consulting with the labor union of the KRA," but is facing immediate backlash.
Some worry that, although the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) says publicly it will proceed with discussions, it is quietly giving more weight to pushing the project forward by its own authority. A real estate industry source said, "When you hear them describe mayors and governors as politicians who voice opposition, and say the number of dwellings on state-owned land should not be determined by economic logic, it does raise doubts about their sincerity in negotiating in earnest," adding, "If the all-out dwelling supply plan is not to become an 'empty promise,' they must come up with concrete solutions to persuade local governments and residents."