Oh Se-hoon at the National Assembly Real Estate Forum: "The People Come Before President Lee's Dignity"

Keynote Speech at the Metropolitan Housing Innovation Forum in the National Assembly

Criticizes Real Estate Supply Policies of the Lee Administration

Opposes Use of Yongsan Park for Housing

Stresses the Need for Conservative Unity

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the Metropolitan Area Housing Innovation Forum held at the National Assembly on Wednesday, saying, "Resolving the real estate problem requires the courage to change policy, not force or stubbornness," and emphasizing that "the people come before the president's pride."

On Wednesday, Mayor Oh said, "We cannot solve the problem with a false dichotomy that conservative governments encourage speculation while progressive governments curb it. We need to consider both demand and supply and safeguard trust in the market and predictability."

He added, "The market will move only when there is trust and confidence in government policy," and stressed, "We must shift away from a regulation-centered policy approach and commit to supply that can actually be built."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is delivering a keynote speech on "Seoul's Housing Supply Plan" at the Housing Innovation Forum held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 7th. 2026.10.07 Photo by Dongju Yoon

Mayor Oh also outlined the results of Seoul's urban renewal projects. He said, "Over the past five years, Seoul designated 35 new redevelopment zones and shortened the designation process to around two years, from the more than five years it used to take. The results are now reflected in permit approvals and construction starts, with groundbreaking up 44.4% from the previous year."

Commenting on the Lee Jae-myung government's recent emphasis on accelerating housing supply, he criticized the government, saying, "It is not appropriate for the government to claim credit for a policy whose seeds Seoul planted several years ago and whose results are only now beginning to bear fruit."

He also mentioned recent trends in the raw materials market and rising construction costs. Mayor Oh said, "When it comes to housing supply, we need to pay close attention to rising construction costs and recent cost trends. That is why we must move even faster on supply policies."

Regarding the use of Yongsan Park, which has become a major topic in political circles and the real estate market, he said, "I cannot agree with the idea of the National Assembly even enacting a special law to use Yongsan Park as apartment land, when the park has both historical significance and a role as green space."

After the forum, Mayor Oh also spoke to reporters about the need for conservative unity. Asked about the possibility of joining forces with independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, he said, "He is fighting well, and I believe he is a conservative asset whose strength could multiply several times if we work together." He added, "Conservative unity is essential so that people like him can come together and create synergy."

The forum is a gathering that includes opposition lawmakers from the Seoul metropolitan area, including Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the Reform Party, and People Power Party lawmaker Cho Jung-hoon. It was organized to bring together conservative-leaning lawmakers from the region to seek practical solutions to real estate policy challenges.

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