[The Editors' Verdict] Principles or Votes... Oh Sehoon's Deep Dilemma

Sintong Planning Apgujeong 3 District Design Proposal
Conflict with Seoul City, Trouble from the Start

It has been reported that four out of six districts in Apgujeong-dong, classified as the most affluent neighborhood in South Korea, will participate in Seoul City's Rapid Integrated Planning this month. Seoul City has enthusiastically launched a large-scale promotional campaign, and market insiders have expressed excitement, saying that there will be changes on the scale of a "complete transformation."

However, the situation changed in just over ten days. The Rapid Integrated Planning itself is at risk of being canceled as Seoul City and the Apgujeong 3 District, the largest among the six districts, have clashed over the design plan. Simply put, the issue revolves around the floor area ratio.

Seoul City's Rapid Integrated Planning sets the maximum floor area ratio at 300%. However, the Apgujeong 3 District union ignored this and chose Heerim Architects, who initially proposed a design plan with a floor area ratio of 360%. Of course, on the day of the vote, Heerim Architects submitted a revised design plan with a 300% floor area ratio and was selected, but they have already been reported to the police by Seoul City on charges including attempted fraud. Seoul City declared the selection invalid and demanded a re-bid, but the union is not complying.

Seoul City stated, "No project site has been allowed to proceed as an exception, and Apgujeong is no exception," emphasizing that they will not stand by idly. The union has not issued a clear stance. However, it is known that they recently formed a legal advisory committee and decided to produce and distribute a video promoting the legitimacy of the design firm selection process, aiming to demonstrate that there were no procedural flaws. Ultimately, the conflicting claims of both sides continue to escalate tensions.

Rapid Integrated Planning is one of the most critical projects among Mayor Oh Se-hoon's flagship pledges. In particular, for Apgujeong, the plan is being promoted by combining Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5. Moreover, it is a key strategic point in Mayor Oh's "Great Hangang" vision.

Nevertheless, the reason Seoul City has taken a tough stance is likely to avoid controversy over fairness, as it could be perceived as granting special favors only to Apgujeong. There is also concern that such a precedent might create the perception that loopholes are allowed in other projects pursuing Rapid Integrated Planning.

Seoul City fears that if hundreds of complexes pursuing reconstruction in the future are swayed by the union's design plans, both Seoul's skyline and the principles of securing public interest could be undermined. In fact, other Apgujeong reconstruction unions are closely monitoring the situation. If the conflict between Seoul City and the Apgujeong 3 District union prolongs, the entire Apgujeong reconstruction project could be affected.

Apgujeong-dong is known as the so-called "Mecca of Conservatism" because many influential figures reside there. In fact, it was the area that gave Mayor Oh the most votes in the Seoul mayoral by-election held on April 7, 2021.

Among apartment complexes in Seoul, the area that gave Mayor Oh the highest percentage of votes was the 1st voting district of Apgujeong-dong in Gangnam-gu, with an overwhelming 93.7% voting for him. The voters were all residents of Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments 3, 6, and 7 complexes. Out of 1,800 voters, 1,700 voted for Mayor Oh. This is why Mayor Oh's dilemma deepens. If he sticks to principles, he worries about losing his voter base; if he appeases the voters, he fears accusations of favoritism.

There is a Latin legal maxim, "pacta sunt servanda," meaning "agreements must be kept," which is a fundamental principle of civil and international law worldwide today. As a former lawyer, Mayor Oh is surely very familiar with this phrase. Hopefully, the original intentions of "speed" and "public interest" in Rapid Integrated Planning will be upheld until the end.

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