The People Power Party criticized the ruling Democratic Party and the government on August 23 for announcing plans to grant local government heads the authority to approve redevelopment and reconstruction projects for housing with fewer than 500 units in Seoul. They stated, "This is effectively transferring the Seoul mayor's approval authority to district heads."
Choi Bo-yun, the party's chief spokesperson, issued a statement saying, "Instead of reflecting on their actions, the government has resorted to force, bypassing the Seoul city government and unilaterally announcing housing supply policies."
Choi emphasized, "Eliminating the consultation process is not an administrative reform; it is essentially a nullification of the Seoul mayor's powers. This means handing over control to district heads who are mostly aligned with the government. This is not about promoting housing supply but rather about placing loyalists in positions to act according to the government's wishes."
She further remarked, "By assigning this responsibility to district heads from the same party who will follow orders, they are merely labeling it 'local autonomy' while ultimately declaring that the government will act as it pleases." She also pointed out that tax policies are no different, noting that the comprehensive real estate tax reform proposal announced on August 3 was already faltering less than 20 days later.
Choi stated, "There is nothing wrong with gathering opinions to make changes. The issue is that policies, which were emphasized as 'principled,' are once again wavering. How can the public trust policies that can be overturned with each announcement when planning their lives, selling properties, or paying taxes?"
She concluded, "The only thing today’s government meeting demonstrated is the question of who the government is truly serving, as it strips away authority and undermines principles."
Earlier, the government and ruling party decided during a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister's residence to push for legislation in the National Assembly that would transfer the authority to designate maintenance zones for housing projects with fewer than 500 units in Seoul to local governments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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