Oh Se-hoon: “I oppose government plan to build 10,000 new housing in Yongsan. Reckless housing supply destroys future.”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated on the 6th that while he agrees with the need to expand housing supply, excessive expansion in Yongsan could undermine the area’s future competitiveness given its strategic importance.

Mayor Oh made the remarks during a forum titled “Controversy Over the Supply of 10,000 Housing Units in the Yongsan International Business District and Possible Solutions,” held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul.

Oh said, “The Yongsan International Business District has been promoted with the goal of creating a global business hub to attract multinational corporations and generate jobs,” adding that “simply expanding residential functions does not align with the district’s development direction.”

Currently, the housing supply level agreed upon with the central government stands at around 6,000 units. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has indicated that it could consider increasing the number to up to 8,000 units, provided issues such as school capacity are resolved. However, it remains negative about expanding the supply to 10,000 units.

Oh warned that pushing ahead with a plan for 10,000 units without adequate alternatives could require at least two additional years due to the need to establish new schools and complete administrative procedures. He also pointed out that an expansion focused on smaller housing units and a reduction in green space could lower the overall quality of the residential environment.

He added, “Policies that sacrifice housing quality simply to increase supply will ultimately reduce citizens’ quality of life and weaken Seoul’s competitiveness.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) believes that even if the number of housing units is increased to 10,000, there would be no need to conduct the three major impact assessments—covering environment, transportation, and disaster risk—because the plan would involve changing land use without altering the floor area ratio. As a result, the project delay would likely be six to eight months rather than two years, according to the ministry.

Regarding the most contentious issue—accommodating additional students—the ministry has also proposed an alternative. Instead of building a new school within the business district and fundamentally altering the development plan, the government is discussing with the education authorities a plan to expand and relocate existing schools outside the district to distribute students across multiple campuses.

If this proposal is accepted, the plan to supply 10,000 housing units could proceed without the long delays feared by the Seoul city government.