Debate Intensifies Over Yongsan Park Housing Plan Amid Fast-Track Push

[Anchor]

A fierce debate has erupted over a government proposal to supply housing on the site of Yongsan Park in Seoul. As opinions sharply clash between utilizing the land for youth housing and preserving it for future generations, rival political parties, the government, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government have all jumped into the fray, engaging in a battle for public opinion.

Reporter Park Chan-beom has the details.

[Reporter]

At the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee today (August 19), the government's plan to build public rental housing for young adults on a portion of the Yongsan Park site came under fire.

Opposition lawmakers argued that turning the former U.S. military base in Yongsan into a park was the wish of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, questioning whether the current ruling bloc intends to break that promise.

[Kim Mi-ae / People Power Party lawmaker: You say it's for future generations, so why are you arbitrarily reducing the park green spaces that future generations should be enjoying? Adequate deliberation is necessary.]

Lawmakers from the ruling party pushed back, asking how young people could possibly afford multi-billion-won private apartments, and asserted that the plan aims to alleviate youth housing anxiety.

[Cho In-chul / Democratic Party lawmaker: Isn't the fundamental intent to supply housing by developing public land and creating apartments on a part of Yongsan Park, since supplying homes to young people through redevelopment is not easy?]

The government explained that the plan involves only partial development, not the entirety of Yongsan Park.

[Kim Yoon-duk / Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: Supplying housing, especially youth housing, in a restricted manner on areas that are partially losing their function as park green spaces...]

The ruling bloc and the conservative opposition, divided over for and against the plan, appear to have effectively entered a public opinion war.

Ha Jun-kyung, Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Growth, mentioned a "purposeful land-use change for public interest" in a media interview, stating, "It is hard to find a case globally where such a large tract of land is turned entirely into a park."

[Ha Jun-kyung / Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Growth (TV Chosun News Parade): If you go to the Yongsan Children's Garden area, there aren't many people. I think it's very important for this prime piece of land to be well utilized.]

On the other hand, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon demanded during a discussion session with People Power Party lawmakers that the government first lift regulations on reconstruction and redevelopment.

[Oh Sehoon / Mayor of Seoul: We must not try to cover up the failure to curb housing prices by shifting the burden to Yongsan Park. We should start by lifting core regulations (on reconstruction and redevelopment).]

The "Amended Special Act on Yongsan Park," which would partially ease regulations on areas surrounding the base, is also a source of controversy.

While the broader ruling bloc is weighing whether to submit the bill to a plenary session tomorrow, opposition lawmakers demanded a re-examination in the standing committee, a request that ruling coalition lawmakers rejected.

(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan and Shin Dong-hwan, Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.