Jang Dong-hyeok and Oh Se-hoon Hold Budget Policy Consultation at National Assembly: "One Team with Seoul City"

▲ People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyeok and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon smile during the People Power Party-Seoul Metropolitan Government Budget Policy Consultation held at the National Assembly on November 6.

The People Power Party held a budget policy consultation meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, a member of its party, at the National Assembly this morning (November 6), launching a coordinated offensive against the administration.

The party leadership warned of an all-out battle against the government, claiming that the "Future Response Fund" the government plans to establish will eat into local government finances.

Mayor Oh also joined the criticism, describing the Lee Jae-myung administration as a "fiscal Nolbu regime" that shifts financial burdens onto local governments.

Party Leader Jang Dong-hyeok praised him, saying, "Mayor Oh has chosen a different path from this administration. He strictly capped debt at this year's level and expanded the budget for practical projects that benefit citizens. This is the model of responsible fiscal management that the People Power Party stands for."

He added, "The People Power Party and Seoul City are one team," pledging, "The People Power Party will work together to fulfill what Mayor Oh promised: 'Change that has begun, an overwhelming completion.' The People Power Party at the National Assembly and the Seoul Metropolitan Government at City Hall will join hands to protect the lives of citizens."

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik also opened fire during today's meeting, saying, "The 162 trillion won Future Response Fund that the government plans to create is a 'future ruin fund.' It places a heavy burden on local fiscal operations by even reducing the resources that should go to local governments."

Floor Leader Jeong noted, "Public transportation issues, the expansion of disaster prevention infrastructure, care and housing stability for vulnerable groups, and strengthening the competitiveness of high-tech industries proposed by Seoul City today are the true core tasks for future response that the political circle must step up to resolve first."

He added, "The People Power Party will do its utmost to support Seoul so that key policies pursued under 'Seoul, the Special City for Quality of Life' are not held back by budget shortages."

Mayor Oh called for central party-level support, pointing out that there are limits to what Seoul can achieve on its own regarding fiscal burden sharing, improvements to aging infrastructure, and deregulation for housing supply.

He continued, "With the expansion of the government's cash welfare programs—such as consumption coupons and subsidies for high oil prices in addition to four basic welfare benefits and low birth rate response support—Seoul City's financial burden continues to grow," noting that "while the tax burden per citizen in Seoul is among the highest nationwide, national budget subsidies are at the lowest level."

Mayor Oh also remarked, "The current administration talks about central-local cooperation, but even with sufficient financial leeway such as the Future Response Fund, it is a 'fiscal Nolbu regime' that severely limits support to local governments."

Regarding the real estate issue, he requested, "Various regulations such as relocation loans and floor area ratios continue to hold back urban redevelopment projects. Please lend your support so that regulations hindering housing supply—such as easing restrictions on the transfer of union member status, raising floor area ratios for private redevelopment projects, and raising the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio for relocation loans—can be improved swiftly."

Representative Cho Eun-hee, chair of the Seoul Mayoral Committee, emphasized, "The major projects for next year's national budget requested by Seoul City total 1.7874 trillion won across 10 projects, but the government's proposal stands at only 790.6 billion won, falling short by about 1 trillion won," adding, "Regardless of which party the mayor belongs to, budgets that are vital for citizens must be handled fairly without political considerations."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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