Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and five-term People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se (Yongsan, Seoul) on the 6th voiced opposition to the government's plan to push for 10,000 dwellings in the Yongsan international business district. They stressed that the opinions of local governments and district residents must be fully reflected, as it could undermine the district's core function and worsen transportation and education conditions.
Meeting Kwon at his office that morning, Mayor Oh said he was "worried about the Yongsan international business district," adding, "It is a place to secure growth engines, and the plan should not be constantly shaken by the housing market or such (policies)." He said, "Timing matters more than volume," and added, "It is hard to reasonably understand why (the government) is doing that."
After the meeting, Kwon told reporters, "(Mayor Oh and I) shared deep concern that the Jan. 29 plan to expand downtown housing supply is being pushed without reflecting on-the-ground voices," adding, "We agreed that if the government clings to a unilateral expansion of housing supply by indiscriminately increasing numbers, it would undermine the function of the Yongsan international business district and create a poor residential environment."
He also said, "If the government unilaterally pushes through 10,000 households, the project itself will be delayed by administrative procedures such as changes to the land use plan, and furthermore it will worsen traffic and education problems, imposing enormous inconvenience and burdens," adding, "(The dwellings) will not be supplied on time."
Kwon went on, "Markets run on public sentiment, and policies that exclude public sentiment are bound to fail," adding, "If (the government policy) is enforced, it would be an unfortunate outcome for Korea, and I will stop it."
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Kwon Young-se's office plan to hold a forum with experts and citizens under the theme "Yongsan international business district and Seoul urban supply" to gather opinions.