Seoul City Audit Set for Clashes Over Real Estate, Judicial Issues

Ahead of Mayor Oh Sehun's appeals court ruling, ruling and opposition parties set to clash

Ruling and opposition parties... "Who is to blame" for rising home prices?

Yongsan Park, Sewoon District 4 development projects under scrutiny

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will face an audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on Oct. 15. The ruling and opposition parties are expected to clash over real estate policy and judicial issues, among others. The audit is also expected to cover key projects championed by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, including the Han River Bus and the redevelopment of Sewoon District 4, as well as the rebar omission controversy at Samsung Station on the GTX-A line.

The Democratic Party of Korea is expected to raise questions about allegations that Mayor Oh had a third party pay for the cost of opinion polls conducted by Myung Tae-gyun. Oh was sentenced in the first trial to a fine of 10 million won on charges of commissioning Myung to conduct opinion polls ahead of the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election and having a third party cover the related costs.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon delivers a keynote address on "Seoul's Housing Supply Plan" at the Housing Innovation Forum held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

However, a recording of a phone call that appears to show Oh saying he did not know the polls were being conducted was released during the appeals process, adding a new variable. With Oh's appeals court ruling scheduled for Oct. 23, the audit is expected to feature further debate over the allegations and their potential impact on Seoul's administration.

Seoul's real estate policy is also expected to be a key issue. The parties have sharply differing interpretations of rising home prices in Seoul, the city's housing supply record, and the progress of redevelopment projects. The Democratic Party is expected to focus on Seoul's housing supply record, while the People Power Party is expected to highlight the government's real estate regulations as a cause.

Scrutiny is also expected of major development projects, including Yongsan Park and Sewoon District 4. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the central government have disagreed over how to use available land, including Yongsan Park, and how to supply housing. The issues also include the possibility of using part of Yongsan Park for housing, lifting development restrictions in greenbelt areas, and transferring authority over redevelopment projects of 500 households or fewer to district governments.

The Sewoon District 4 project has escalated into complaints and lawsuits. The Korea Heritage Service is calling on the Seoul Metropolitan Government to conduct a World Heritage Impact Assessment first, but Seoul Housing & Urban Development Corporation (SH), which is overseeing the project as an agency under the city government, is pushing back. More recently, the district government and the central government have been conducting legal reviews of administrative procedures, including approval of the project implementation plan.

Long-running controversies over the Han River Bus, gondolas, and the missing rebar on the GTX-A line are also expected to resurface. Other major city issues that may be discussed include reform of Seoul's semi-public bus system, the normalization of TBS, and Wrist Doctor 9988.

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