Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Denied Speaking Opportunity at Cabinet Meeting; Real Estate Forum Follows Tensions

[Anchor]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attempted to speak about housing supply in Seoul during a Cabinet meeting, but he was denied the floor, leading to a tense exchange. Meanwhile, the first national public forum on real estate, aimed at shaping government policy, was held today (July 14). At the forum, participants voiced strong calls for deregulation to increase housing supply.

Reporter Lee Seong-hoon has the story.

[Reporter]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended his first Cabinet meeting since the local elections.

He requested to speak to explain Seoul City's housing supply plans, but Prime Minister Han Seong-sook intervened.

[Oh Se-hoon/Mayor of Seoul: Prime Minister, may I have a word as the Mayor of Seoul?]

[Han Seong-sook/Prime Minister: Since we have a national public forum on this matter, I would like to move on to the next agenda item.]

Unable to secure an opportunity to speak, Mayor Oh expressed his disappointment and submitted a report containing proposals such as revitalizing reconstruction and redevelopment projects and easing regulations on relocation loans. The Blue House stated that it would review the report carefully.

A few hours later, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held its first real estate forum, where various opinions on solutions for housing supply were presented.

Representatives from urban renewal project sites demanded that regulations on relocation loans be lifted first.

[Kim Myeong-hee/Chairperson of the Singil District 2 Residents' Representative Council, Yeongdeungpo-gu: There are no financial institutions willing to provide relocation loans, leaving many project sites at risk of delayed relocation. It is contradictory to talk about rapid supply while blocking the very funding essential for projects to proceed.]

Suggestions were also made that easing loan and guarantee regulations for non-apartment housing, such as officetels and villas, would help increase supply.

Opinions were divided regarding the operation of regulated areas and land transaction permit zones.

[Kim Hyo-sun/Chief Real Estate Specialist at KB Kookmin Bank: Since it is difficult to sell properties without evicting existing tenants, we are seeing a situation where the supply of jeonse (lump-sum deposit rental) listings for older properties is also gradually decreasing.]

[Choi Eun-young/Director of the Korea Center for City and Environment Research: What happened when the Seoul Metropolitan Government lifted land transaction permit zones in February 2025? Side effects must be fully considered.]

Voices were also raised emphasizing that tenant protection should be at the center of housing policy, given that 8 out of 10 young people are tenants.

The government plans to hold consecutive forums on finance and taxation tomorrow and the day after, and will also collect opinions online.

Based on these discussions, the government intends to deliberate on policy directions covering supply, finance, and taxation at a major real estate forum presided over by the President on July 23.

(Video coverage: Jung Sang-bo, Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.