Seoul Democratic Party Criticizes Mayor Oh Se-hoon's Cheongdam Water Reclamation Center Housing Plan

The Democratic Party's Seoul chapter convened a meeting with district mayors under its affiliation to deliberate on real estate supply issues in the capital. A central point of contention was Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's recent proposal to develop the Cheongdam Water Reclamation Center into a housing site as an alternative to the Yongsan Park development.

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Mayor Oh is opposing for the sake of opposition. The Cheongdam Water Reclamation Center, proposed as an alternative, is absurd political rhetoric that might only be feasible in a decade.

Kim Young-bae, chairman of the Seoul chapter, strongly criticized Mayor Oh's plan during the meeting. "Mayor Oh is opposing for the sake of opposition," Kim stated, dismissing the Cheongdam Water Reclamation Center proposal as "absurd political rhetoric" that would only be feasible in a decade, if at all. This statement directly addresses Mayor Oh's meeting with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport the previous day, where the mayor suggested creating a "Southeast Youth Specialized Industrial Complex" including youth housing at the Cheongdam site.

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At this point, the two principles for housing supply are 'affordability' and 'speed.'

Kim emphasized that current housing supply principles must prioritize "affordability" and "speed." Oh Ki-hyung, chairman of the party's Housing Supply Special Committee, echoed these sentiments, expressing willingness to consider Mayor Oh's suggestions if appropriate but questioning the efficacy of the mayor's approach over the past five years. "We must actively propose alternatives for any site where supply regulations can be eased from the citizens' perspective," Oh Ki-hyung added.

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We must actively propose alternatives for any site where supply regulations can be eased from the citizens' perspective.

The meeting also addressed the government's recent proposal to transfer approval rights for redevelopment projects with fewer than 500 units to district mayors. Han Jeong-ae, head of the Democratic Party's Housing Market Stabilization Task Force, highlighted the current bottleneck in Seoul, where city-level reviews can take up to six months. Kim Young-bae confirmed that district mayors had requested this authority transfer, and the Seoul chapter would actively recommend it to the central party.

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In cases of redevelopment projects related to basic local governments, if the review goes up to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it takes at least six months. It acts as a bottleneck, and we will focus on discussing such aspects to expedite ongoing projects.