Oh Se-hoon Criticizes Jung Won-oh's Property Tax Relief Pledge as "Nothing More Than a Stopgap Measure"

Gangdong-gu Real Estate Hell Citizens' Meeting Held on the 13th

"Like breaking someone's arms and legs and then offering a band-aid"

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, criticized the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, Jung Won-oh's pledge to reduce property taxes for single-homeowners with no income, calling it "nothing more than a stopgap measure."

On the afternoon of May 13, after attending the "Gangdong District Real Estate Hell Citizens' Countermeasures Meeting" in Gangdong, Seoul, Oh told reporters, "Property taxes are bound to rise as the officially assessed land values across Seoul have increased significantly. Creating an environment where property taxes are raised for all homeowners while offering tax reductions to a very limited number of citizens is like breaking someone's arms and legs and then offering a band-aid as a solution—it is a mere stopgap measure," he said.

Oh further commented, "According to the announcement, the pledge is limited to single-homeowners with no income, and there are also age restrictions. What about the citizens who do not meet these requirements?" He added, "It is extremely disappointing to see such a narrowly targeted pledge presented in this way."

Earlier that morning, candidate Jung held a press conference at the National Assembly's communication center, announcing a pledge to reduce property taxes for retired single-homeowners with no income. Jung explained, "We will temporarily reduce the increased portion of this year's property tax resulting from the rise in official property prices," adding, "This is a measure intended to ease the burden on elderly and retired single-homeowners who reside in their homes, not on multi-homeowners with speculative intentions."

Oh also remarked, "Jung's campaign is filled with people who staunchly opposed redevelopment and reconstruction during the tenure of former Mayor Park Won-soon. The Democratic Party has never once sincerely reflected on the fact that, during Mayor Park's term, all redevelopment and reconstruction projects were canceled and lifted. Everyone will remember this," he said. "In this situation, simply promising to do better now in order to win votes lacks any sincerity whatsoever."

Meanwhile, regarding Jung's lack of response to the proposal for a one-on-one debate, Oh criticized, "I cannot help but think he is an unprepared candidate who is truly irresponsible and does not care about citizens' right to know."