Oh Se-hoon: "If Housing Is Supplied in Yongsan Park, Roads Will Become 'Parking Lots'... Soil Remediation and U.S. Military Consultations Will Take Years"

Meeting with Kwon Young-se in the Afternoon of August 18
Discussion on Housing Supply in Yongsan Park and International Business District

On August 18, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon raised concerns about the government's plan to supply housing within Yongsan Park, stating, "If 6,000 to 10,000 units in the Yongsan International Business District, as well as 10,000 to 20,000 households at Yongsan Children's Garden are developed simultaneously as discussed, nearby roads will become parking lots," and emphasized, "The traffic load will be unmanageable."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is discussing Yongsan Park and housing supply in the Yongsan International Business District with Kwon Young-se, a member of the People Power Party, at the Seoul City Hall office on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Mayor Oh made these remarks after meeting with Kwon Young-se, a member of the People Power Party, at Seoul City Hall that afternoon to discuss housing supply related to Yongsan Park and the Yongsan International Business District, and then speaking with reporters.

He also pointed out, "Soil contamination across the Yongsan site is expected to require at least five years to remediate," adding, "Remediation work at Camp Kim has been ongoing for five years, but it is still not finished." Camp Kim is a former U.S. military base adjacent to Namyeong and Samgakji Stations in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Additionally, Mayor Oh stated, "Full remediation can only begin once the entire site is transferred from the U.S. military, but since the transfer has not yet occurred, it is certain that construction cannot begin under the current administration." He stressed, "Taking extraordinary measures such as changing the law to force through projects that will take place only years from now should be avoided as much as possible."

Meanwhile, Mayor Oh said that at a cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jaemyung that morning, he conveyed to the government the following positions: lifting regulations on redevelopment projects, opposing converting Yongsan Park sites into apartment complexes, and opposing further lifting of the greenbelt. He said, "I requested easing floor area ratio regulations for redevelopment, discretionary power to reduce public housing ratios, temporary relaxation of restrictions on the transfer of union member status, and after the release of Seoripul Districts 1 and 2, I made it clear that the city cannot consent to any further greenbelt releases."

Furthermore, regarding the meeting scheduled for August 20 with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoon-deok, Mayor Oh said, "I will check whether the government has established a clear policy," adding, "I plan to specifically ask which sites the government is considering for housing supply across all of Yongsan and to provide a corresponding response."

He added, "I will also ask what solutions are being considered for many difficult issues, such as contaminated soil remediation, outstanding matters with the U.S. military, traffic, and core infrastructure like water and sewage."

Kwon Young-se, Assemblyman, also stated, "Effective utilization of Yongsan Park must be coordinated with the U.S. military and the contamination must be addressed. The government's attempt to use the site as a quick real estate fix is realistically inappropriate," stressing, "The idea of cramming apartment complexes into the park is misguided and must be withdrawn."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.