Seoul City Councilor Jang Sang-gi Criticizes "Seoul Real Estate Market Stirring Again After Stabilizing"

"Public Redevelopment and Reconstruction, No Setbacks in Establishing the 2040 Seoul Plan" Ordered

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seoul Metropolitan Council member Jang Sang-gi (Democratic Party, Gangseo 6) strongly criticized, saying, “The real estate market, which was stabilizing, is stirring again after the by-election, but Seoul’s urban administration is unable to do anything as it is only watching the new mayor’s moves.”

Member Jang pointed this out repeatedly through work reports from departments under the Urban Planning Management Committee, including the Urban Regeneration Office on the 23rd, the Housing and Architecture Headquarters on the 26th, and the Urban Planning Bureau on the 27th.

Jang Sang-gi raised the issue, saying, “Despite the City Council’s continuous pointing out of problems in urban regeneration policies and urban regeneration being cited as a representative policy failure case in the Seoul mayoral by-election, even two weeks after the new mayor’s inauguration, no basic direction for improvement has been presented.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Council Urban Planning Management Committee pointed out problems with preservation-centered neighborhood regeneration-type urban regeneration projects promoted in deteriorated low-rise residential dense areas during last year’s administrative audit and suggested incorporating various types of development projects such as street housing maintenance projects and small-scale reconstruction projects.

Accordingly, the Urban Regeneration Office held expert meetings at the end of last year and advisory meetings for new business model development earlier this year, and in February proposed amendments to laws to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to secure project effectiveness and enhance citizen perception through easing building regulations.

They also reported at the February extraordinary session that by March, they planned to develop concrete implementation plans centered on the new business model (draft), and from April, they would collect opinions from experts and citizens on the concretized business model.

Jang Sang-gi claimed, “Improvement plans have been prepared since last year due to citizens’ and the City Council’s issues, but progress has stalled around the by-election.”

Member Jang criticized, saying, “Establishing the future direction of urban regeneration should have been the first instruction by newly elected Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the top priority for the Urban Regeneration Office. Despite being a field closely related to citizens’ lives and of greatest interest, urban administration has been paralyzed,” urging a prompt report to the council and public discussion.

In the work report under the Housing and Architecture Headquarters, Jang Sang-gi expressed concern, saying, “Public redevelopment and reconstruction involve supplying housing and improving residential environments by allowing zoning upgrades and increasing floor area ratios in deteriorated areas where development is difficult with existing private projects, but residents perceive public projects as committing corruption and exploiting the private sector.”

He also diagnosed, “With the change of mayor, a mistaken perception has spread that even private projects will have relaxed floor area ratios and increased building heights, causing the real estate market, which was stabilizing, to stir again.”

Jang lamented, “Despite the market being disrupted by unrealistic claims that are legally impossible, none of the departments responsible for Seoul’s urban administration have ever issued explanatory materials as they are all watching the new mayor’s moves,” urging active response.

In the subsequent work report under the Urban Planning Bureau, Jang Sang-gi said, “It has been continuously pointed out that the uniform application of a 35-floor height limit in the 2030 Seoul Plan, the highest statutory plan under the National Land Planning Act, blocks creative architectural planning and becomes a factor hindering urban competitiveness,” and requested, “Please make thorough efforts so that the 2040 Seoul Plan, which has been under development since October 2019, can prepare reasonable alternatives, resolve the exhausting height debate with citizen consensus, and establish Seoul’s future vision and development direction 20 years from now.”

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