Democratic Party Seoul Mayoral Hopefuls Hold First Debate... Frontrunner Jung Wono Faces Intense Attacks (Comprehensive)

Kim Youngbae, Park Jumin, and Jeon Hyunhee Focus Their Questions on Jung Wono
"Jung Wono's Real Estate Philosophy Appears to Differ from the Lee Administration"
Criticism Raised Over Issues Such as Gentrification in Seongdong-gu

The preliminary candidates of the Democratic Party of Korea for Seoul mayor targeted Jung Wono, the former head of Seongdong District and current frontrunner in opinion polls, with concentrated attacks during their first joint debate. They raised doubts about Jung’s real estate philosophy, including his housing supply policies, and criticized one of his signature achievements in Seongdong-gu— the “Success Bus” (a Seongdong-style public facility shuttle bus)— as a mere display of administrative performance.

The Democratic Party of Korea’s preliminary candidates for Seoul mayor participated in their first joint debate on March 19, which was broadcast via SBS’s “Joo Youngjin’s News Briefing.”

(Seoul=Yonhap News) On the 19th, the joint preliminary debate for the Seoul mayoral candidates of the Democratic Party of Korea was held at SBS Prism Tower in Mapo-gu, Seoul. From the left are preliminary candidates Kim Youngbae, Kim Hyungnam, Chun Hyunhee, Jung Wono, and Park Jumin. March 19, 2026 [SBS broadcast screen capture. Resale and DB prohibited] Photo by Yonhap News

Assemblywoman Chun Hyunhee, in the first round of the debate focused on real estate and housing issues, remarked, “I saw a media report quoting former district head Jung as saying that the rise in Seongdong-gu’s housing prices was an unprecedented example of development in Seoul, during a speech at a certain organization.” She then asked Assemblyman Park Jumin for his opinion on the matter— a move interpreted as a veiled check on Jung.

In response, Jung Wono countered, “My point was that by diligently resolving long-standing local issues and revitalizing the regional economy, residents’ happiness and the value of the region both increase.”

Regarding the issue of rising home prices, Assemblyman Kim Youngbae said, “As Seoul becomes more globalized, land and real estate prices are bound to rise. The problem isn’t expensive neighborhoods per se, but the simultaneous rise across the board and the lack of affordable housing.” On this topic, Assemblyman Park Jumin added, “I was pointing out that talking about rising home prices as a source of pride and as the number one indicator is problematic.”

The candidates also scrutinized Jung’s housing supply policies. Assemblyman Park Jumin questioned Jung, saying, “During private development, you receive public rental units, but didn’t you say you would receive for-sale apartments instead of rental ones? You also said you would supply them at 70–80% of market price. President Lee Jaemyung has criticized the move to convert rental housing into for-sale units in a Cabinet meeting. Isn’t this at odds with the President’s governing philosophy?”

Assemblyman Kim Youngbae also pressed Jung Wono. “You haven’t announced many housing pledges. I’ve done it 12 times, but you only once or twice. You have no vision for housing supply,” he pointed out. Jung responded, “I couldn’t announce pledges due to election law restrictions while serving as district head.”

There were also direct questions targeting the policies Jung implemented as the former head of Seongdong District.

Regarding the gentrification issue in Seongdong-gu, Assemblywoman Chun Hyunhee said, “In a media interview, former district head Jung claimed there is no gentrification in Seongdong-gu, but Seongsu-dong is actually one of the worst-hit areas. The rate of increase in commercial rents in Seongsu-dong is the highest in Seoul.”

Assemblywoman Chun then brought up the Success Bus policy in Seongdong-gu. She stated, “The Success Bus is based on the law on transportation convenience for the mobility disadvantaged. Therefore, it should prioritize transporting people with mobility challenges. However, in reality, people with disabilities cannot use the Success Bus.”

Chun continued, “The Success Bus is a prime example of overlapping and inefficient routes. It reportedly consumes about 1.5 billion won in taxpayer money. This is a classic case of showy administration and a waste of taxes.” She then asked Jung if he would withdraw his pledge to expand the Success Bus service throughout Seoul.

Jung Wono responded, “Citizen satisfaction is high, and the service quickly gets those who previously couldn’t use public transportation to intermediate points on the way to their final destinations. It’s a project that rapidly connects subway stations and public institutions to eliminate blind spots.”

Meanwhile, when asked about which policies from Oh Sehoon’s administration they would carry on, the preliminary candidates most frequently cited the “Rapid Integrated Planning” (Shintong Planning) initiative.

Assemblyman Park Jumin, Assemblywoman Chun Hyunhee, and Jung Wono agreed on the need to shorten the redevelopment and reconstruction process for housing by streamlining permit procedures. Park stated, “While Rapid Integrated Planning hasn’t produced tangible results, the effort itself is positive. If I become mayor, I will address bottlenecks in permit authority in addition to integrated reviews, so that administrative procedures can proceed quickly.”

Assemblyman Kim Youngbae said, “I will carry on the basic idea of Mayor Oh’s Climate Companion Card, but the card doesn’t work in Gyeonggi Province. I plan to integrate it with the K-Pass, make village buses free, and expand the supply of electric Ddarungi (shared bikes).”

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