Park Hongkeun Pressures Oh Sehoon Again: "Authority to Designate Zones for Projects Under 500 Households Must Be Transferred" (Comprehensive)

Hongkeun Park, Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, once again urged Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to cooperate in delegating the authority to designate maintenance zones for small-scale redevelopment projects with fewer than 500 households to the local district governments.

Hongkeun Park, Minister of Strategy and Finance, is speaking at the ruling party-government meeting on the 2027 budget held on the 25th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. From left to right: Kwangjae Lee, Chair of the National Assembly Budget Committee; Minister Park; Byungdo Han, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. 2026.8.25 Yonhap News Agency

On the afternoon of August 30, Minister Park posted on his social media account under the title, "For Increased Supply, All That Remains Is Mayor Oh Se-hoon's Response," applying renewed pressure on Mayor Oh. This follows his previous statement calling on the Seoul Metropolitan Government to utilize its existing authority before requesting increased floor area ratio (FAR).

Minister Park countered, "Mayor Oh Se-hoon has consistently asserted that the government must lift regulations that are supposedly blocking housing supply. However, many of the requests from Seoul have already been reflected in the government's recent measures." He continued, "If Mayor Oh repeats the same arguments without even properly reviewing the new measures, it is wholly off the mark. If he knows the reality but chooses to ignore it, then it is a malicious political maneuver."

Minister Park explained, "Recent government measures include steps to improve displacement loan regulations and to increase the acquisition price of rental housing provided through public contributions from 80% to 100% of the standard construction cost. All of these are aimed at increasing the profitability and accelerating the construction of redevelopment projects. These were suggestions I personally pushed for during internal discussions." He also noted, "The plan to transfer the authority for designating maintenance zones for small-scale projects of under 500 households to district governments is also something I have long emphasized as necessary." Nevertheless, he pointed out, "Mayor Oh opposed this plan during a Cabinet meeting in the presence of the President, citing concerns about disorderly development and administrative confusion."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is moving on August 26 to a restaurant in an undisclosed location in Seoul to discuss housing issues in Seoul, including housing supply using Yongsan Park, with Kim Yoon-duk, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. 2026.8.26 Yonhap News Agency

The Seoul Metropolitan Government revealed that there are 193 sites currently undergoing small-scale redevelopment projects of under 500 households, but only 31 sites, or 16%, have advanced to the maintenance zone designation phase. Commenting on this, Minister Park noted, "The Seoul city government is holding tight to the core authority over the review and integrated deliberation process for zone designation in redevelopment projects, and is also deeply involved in setting the basic direction of redevelopment plans, urban planning decisions, and project timing adjustments." He continued, "If the speed of business is slow, responsibility must first fall on the Seoul city government." He pressed further, "If Mayor Oh genuinely wishes to accelerate supply even by a single day, isn't it only right to cooperate in expediting these slow reviews?"

Minister Park added, "The government is relaxing regulations, reducing the financial burden, and improving the system to ensure that redevelopment projects can proceed quickly in the field. We have also reflected many of the tasks requested by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in this process." He insisted, "Now it is time for Mayor Oh Se-hoon to respond. If he continues to blindly oppose government efforts while focusing solely on protecting Seoul’s jurisdiction, it can only be seen as a strategic evasion of increased supply and an attempt to defend vested interests at all costs. If that is not the case, I hope for his cooperation with the government’s measures."

Earlier on the same day, Minister Park wrote another post titled, "Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Start With What Seoul Can Do," stating that before demanding increased FAR and adjustments to public contribution rates from the central government, the city should proactively use the authority it already possesses under the current system. He argued, "If the need for increased housing supply in Seoul is truly urgent, the Seoul Metropolitan Government should first explain to its citizens how actively it has applied the current legal maximum FAR in redevelopment projects and how it has managed the public housing burden ratio." He continued, "If Seoul fails to do what can be done within the current system and instead blames all issues on central government laws and systems, the citizens will find it difficult to accept such explanations." He concluded, "While Mayor Oh takes an unyielding stance against housing supply in Yongsan for future generations, the alternative proposal—relocating the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center—does not even guarantee feasibility, further raising doubts about his commitment to solving Seoul's housing issues."

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