"Seoul must not be swayed by Seoul City."
This was said by a National Assembly member of the ruling party. When the government announced plans to utilize part of Yongsan Park for housing supply, Seoul City proposed the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center site as an alternative. The member argued that Seoul should not be dragged along by the city's demands. In the case of the Tancheon water center, securing an alternative site is difficult, which could delay housing supply compared to Yongsan Park. The tone of Minister Kim Yun-deok of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also shifted significantly. Immediately after meeting Mayor Oh for the second time on the 26th, he indicated active consideration of Tancheon as a supply site, but the following day he expressed negative reactions for the same reasons cited by ruling party lawmakers.
This is not to say that Tancheon is more suitable than Yongsan as a housing site. It would be an excellent development if public housing accessible to young people and newlywed couples were created in central Seoul. Demanders hope for rapid supply of stable, long-term housing regardless of whether it is Yongsan or Tancheon. The problem lies in the fact that political conflicts and lingering resentments are interfering with real estate policy. The Democratic Party believes that the cause of insufficient housing supply in Seoul is due to failures by Seoul City administration. Seoul City also does not naturally expect all achievements in housing supply to be credited solely to the ruling party.
During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, the government actively supported the Cheonggyecheon restoration project led by Lee Myung-bak, then mayor of Seoul and a member of the Grand National Party. Roh Jeon (President) stated at a State Council meeting in 2003: "Although there are opposing views, since it has already been decided, everyone must join forces." Having determined Cheonggyecheon restoration through debate and deliberation, the central government chose to cooperate, making a difficult political decision.
The Lee Jae-myung administration and Seoul City have significant methodological differences but share consensus on so-called "just supply" (닥공). Whether it is Yongsan or Tancheon should not be judged by political pros and cons. Mayor Oh and Kim (Minister) are expected to meet again soon. In this situation, the words of Democratic Party member Han Byeong-do Won Nae (CEO), who said "What is urgently needed is the speed of supply" and "Yongsan for Yongsan, Tancheon for Tancheon," are welcome. Beyond political calculations, we look forward to the leadership of the ruling party that will firmly support "just supply" and non-partisan cooperation from Seoul City.
in OPINION
