Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Criticizes President Lee's Focus on Multicultural Policy, Stresses Housing Concerns

▲ Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon expressed concern regarding President Lee Jae-myung's continued remarks following his announcement on October 28 to review the potential abolition of preferential policies for multicultural families, stating, "The issue the President should be addressing with consecutive expressions of interest is concerns and solutions regarding jeonse and monthly rent."

Attending a forum titled "Finding a Path to Coexistence: World Heritage Conservation and the Future of Cities" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building today (Nov. 3), Mayor Oh responded to a question asking for his view on President Lee continuously addressing the controversy over reverse discrimination in multicultural policies for four consecutive days, saying, "Watching such a scene leaves me with somewhat complex feelings."

He added, "In a reality where it is impossible to find jeonse listings and jeonse and rent prices are soaring to unimaginable heights, had he expressed interest and solutions regarding the jeonse and monthly rent issue for four consecutive days, it might have instead garnered more support and been a move that reassures the public."

However, regarding the review of abolishing preferential systems for multicultural families itself, he evaluated it as a "desirable direction," noting, "Any citizen is bound to be sensitive to receiving disadvantages, and making rational adjustments is a necessary task."

Mayor Oh also touched upon the recently raised crisis theory surrounding the South Korea-U.S. alliance, expressing concern: "Many citizens are worried about security regarding various unexpected situations that could arise from a shaking South Korea-U.S. alliance. Many citizens are watching with worried gazes as the President remains fixated on a single topic."

In response to President Lee's social media post stating that he is "enduring the difficult path toward the normalization of the asset market," Oh criticized it by saying, "Using such an expression is highly likely to be conveyed to mean that he is simply waiting for time to pass as it is. Hoping that things will resolve naturally as time passes without a policy pivot is the most incompetent and most deserving of condemnation policy approach."

Furthermore, regarding the "Future Response Fund" proposed by President Lee in his National Assembly policy speech, Oh expressed apprehension, stating, "If the government uses the excess tax revenue collected this year in the direction he mentioned, it is clear as day that a national disaster will come. It means exhausting all of the excess tax revenue on populist cash spending, which would be expected to cause typical side effects such as inflation and soaring real estate prices."

When asked about his stance on differing opinions within the party regarding whether to issue an apology ahead of the two-year mark of the December 3 emergency martial law, Mayor Oh replied, "We must spare no effort necessary to draw closer to the hearts of the public. If there are points where the people were disappointed in the People Power Party, we must clearly organize our stance on those points, and whether it takes twice or five times, there is nothing that cannot be done (in terms of apologizing)."

(Photo provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yonhap News)

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