Seoul, Ministry Clash Again Over Housing Plans, This Time Over Yongsan Park

Seoul and the central government are locked in a dispute over housing supply plans, with the conflict now encompassing the future of Yongsan Park. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced its intention to consider the entire Yongsan Park as a candidate site for housing development, a move that Seoul has firmly opposed, citing the need to protect the park from development.

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We are considering ways to overcome issues like contamination and negotiations with the U.S. military to build houses on the various sites in Yongsan. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport considers all possibilities for housing supply.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Kim Hyun-mee stated that the ministry is exploring all possibilities for housing supply, including the Yongsan Park area. "We are considering ways to overcome issues like contamination and negotiations with the U.S. military to build houses on the various sites in Yongsan," she said, emphasizing that the ministry is open to all options.

Seoul, however, reiterated its stance that developing housing on Yongsan Park, the city's last large-scale urban green space, requires extreme caution. The city argued that the park is a national asset vital for protecting citizens' lives in an era of climate crisis and should be preserved for future generations. Seoul stressed that such a decision should not be rushed without sufficient social discussion and consensus, referencing the "Yongsan Park Establishment Special Act" which aims to preserve the park for recreation and ecological purposes.

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Seoul's position remains unchanged: developing housing by damaging Yongsan Park, Seoul's last large-scale urban green space, requires extreme caution.

The disagreement echoes a previous clash over the government's "August 13 Housing Supply Plan." While the ministry claimed that agreements were reached with local governments regarding new housing sites, including the designation of Seoul's green belts as areas requiring transaction permits, Seoul countered that while discussions occurred, no agreement was reached on lifting green belt restrictions.

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It should not be a matter pursued without sufficient social discussion and consensus for the sake of immediate supply targets.

Minister Kim expressed a willingness to cooperate with Seoul but also stated that the government cannot be paralyzed by Seoul's opposition. He is scheduled to meet with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on August 20 to address these issues.

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But that does not mean the government should show incompetence by being unable to do anything because Seoul opposes it.