Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, stated on May 31 that he plans to present three urgent housing policy improvements and two proposals for restoring the economy and democracy to the president during the first cabinet meeting after his election.
Speaking at a press conference titled 'Five Major Commands from Seoul Citizens' at his campaign office in Jongno-gu, Oh emphasized that if elected, he would immediately fulfill the serious mandate from the citizens.
The five major commands from Seoul citizens include: normalizing conditions for redevelopment and reconstruction projects, increasing the supply of private rental housing to address the rental crisis, establishing measures to prevent excessive property taxes, easing regulations in the metropolitan area to boost the local economy, and safeguarding democratic values by preventing the dismissal of charges.
Oh pointed out that the only significant new housing supply measure in Seoul is redevelopment, which has become difficult under the current 10-15 policy. He pledged to lift restrictions on relocation loans for redevelopment projects, allow the transfer of membership status in housing cooperatives, and promote the relaxation of floor area ratios for public redevelopment projects.
He also addressed the worsening rental crisis under the Lee Jae-myung administration, proposing the easing of regulations on registered rental businesses and corporate private rental projects to ensure the supply of safe and reasonably priced housing.
Oh promised to advocate strongly for maintaining the long-term holding tax exemption for single-homeowners and adjusting tax brackets. He stated, "If the exemption for single-homeowners is abolished, it would cause significant losses. Therefore, we must maintain the current exemption and work with the government to find reasonable adjustments to the tax brackets."
He emphasized that policies conflicting with the direction of government policy, including the maintenance of the tax exemption, would be unfeasible for Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor.
Oh remarked, "A Democratic mayor in Seoul would be nothing more than a puppet, unable to even mention the urgent and serious five commands from citizens. I believe that Jung, who was chosen as a candidate by the president, will have to act at the level of a nominal appointee."
He urged Seoul citizens for strong support, stating, "What we need now is not a puppet but a guardian of citizens' rights."
While vowing to speak candidly to the government, Oh addressed concerns about ongoing conflicts with the Lee administration, asserting, "I have never caused extreme conflicts with a president from a different party or engaged in unnecessary showy politics."
He added, "Why can't I meet the president separately to discuss matters? I did so when I was elected in 2021, meeting with President Moon Jae-in. If I sincerely explain the market situation and convey the urgent issues, there should be no reason to reject stabilizing the housing market, which would also contribute to government stability."
Oh concluded, "I have never backed down from doing what is right, and all the proposals I mentioned today are essential for a necessary future change. I question whether Jung, who is hesitant to speak out against the president, can truly take such actions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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