President Lee to Seoul Mayor Oh: "We Must Increase Supply, Not Fuel Home Price Spikes"

President Lee Jae-myung pushed back against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who has demanded the easing of real estate-related regulations, stating, "The goal is to increase housing supply, not to heighten the possibility of soaring housing prices."

Kang Yoo-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, stated in a briefing that President Lee made the remarks after Mayor Oh—who attended the cabinet meeting presided over by the President at the Blue House—brought up the easing of regulations concerning floor area ratios, restrictions on the transfer of cooperative member status, and rental housing ratios.

However, President Lee noted, "There can be a common ground that maximizes positive aspects while minimizing negative ones," and instructed Prime Minister Han Sung-sook to review various opinions and find ways to increase housing supply.

Prior to this, President Lee reportedly checked in detail with Mayor Oh on whether the authority to grant permits for large-scale redevelopment and reconstruction projects as well as small-scale individual construction lies with district offices or the city government, and also questioned whether there are ways to ease regulations to boost private supply.

Meanwhile, the Blue House stated that it was untrue when Mayor Oh claimed via social media after the cabinet meeting that he had "clearly expressed opposition to the President regarding the issue of building apartments in Yongsan Park."

Senior Spokesperson Kang said, "It appears there are parts that differ from the facts," adding, "I have not heard anything about Yongsan Park."

In addition, after receiving a report from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on swift housing supply plans and follow-up measures, President Lee instructed Prime Minister Han to "hold meetings with construction companies to listen to their demands, seek solutions, and meticulously look after necessary measures."

He also emphasized, "While maintaining the flexibility to accept legitimate criticisms of policies, we must not be swayed by attempts to undermine them."

Regarding calls within the Democratic Party of Korea for supplementary revisions to the tax code reform bill, the senior spokesperson noted, "Since it is the legislative notice period, rational opinions and suggestions can be heard and we are naturally open to them," while also stating, "On the other hand, principles must not be compromised, and the key agenda items of the policy must be preserved."

(Photo courtesy of the Blue House, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.