KOR- Only sites that lost functionality? The Moon Jae-in administration made those into green spaces
- Doubts over whether they studied the intent to expand green corridors
- Creating green spaces in Seoul to serve as lungs and resting spaces is unconditionally necessary
- Developing only a portion? Once started, it will eventually cover other areas too
- Yongsan Park will take a long time due to unreturned land and environmental remediation issues
- Itaewon and Huam-dong as alternatives... Can be developed much faster
- Jang Dong-hyeok telling senior lawmakers not to run? We merely emphasized taking responsibility
- Seeing Jang's response only solidifies the conviction that stepping down is the right move
- Replacing local chapter heads is also inappropriate... A time when more fighting spirit is needed
- Possibility of resignation? Should utilize the party system based on party members' judgment
- North Korea–US summit within the year? Concerned about potential negative impacts on South Korea
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: August 20, 2026 (Thu)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Kwon Young-se, People Power Party Lawmaker
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You are someone who has expressed opposition to the Yongsan Park redevelopment project pursued by the government. What exactly is the problem, and what alternatives do you have? This is the lawmaker whose constituency includes the Yongsan Park site. Let's speak with People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se. Hello, lawmaker.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Hello. I am Kwon Young-se.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Lawmaker, first of all, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and almost all members of the People Power Party oppose the government's plan to supply public rental housing for young adults within the Yongsan Park site. Since this is your constituency, what is the reason for your opposition?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Naturally, I oppose it because it is my constituency, but in fact, I am not opposing it merely because it is my district. I oppose it because I believe Yongsan Park must be left as a park for Seoul and the entire Republic of Korea. I am very grateful that Mayor Oh Se-hoon and other lawmakers in our party have embraced this sentiment regarding Yongsan.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: The reason is, first of all, I believe it was around 2003 or 2004 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. When deliberating how to utilize the returned Yongsan U.S. military base site to best serve not only Seoul but the entire Republic of Korea, the decision was made to make the entire area a park. And around 2020, under the Moon Jae-in administration, there were areas where Minister Kim Yoon-deok recently argued, "This is not green space, so can't apartments be built here?"
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You mean the degraded parts that cannot be used as green space.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) site and the military apartment site. However, these were not originally green spaces, nor were they originally part of Yongsan Park or designated park land. The Moon Jae-in administration incorporated the military apartment site and DAPA site into Yongsan Park and turned them into green spaces to properly secure green spaces in Seoul and complete the green corridor connecting Mount Namsan to the Han River, thereby completing Yongsan Park.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It was done under a Democratic Party administration.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Exactly, it was done by a Democratic Party administration just five or six years ago. Yet I wonder if Minister Kim Yoon-deok even studied or knows why these sites were included before making such remarks. Another thing I want to mention is Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs Ha Jun-kyung. He said that because the Children's Garden has few visitors, why not utilize it as a housing site? But right now, it is closed one day a week and closes at 6:00 p.m. So people cannot really use it. When it closes at 6:00 p.m. nowadays, although people do visit parks during the day, it is hot during the day, so isn't a park meant to be a place where people stroll after dinner?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Therefore, claiming to use it for apartments simply because there are few people is problematic. Fundamentally, we must create a green hub in the metropolis of Seoul to serve as lungs on one hand—just as the Amazon is called the lungs of the world—and also serve as a resting space for citizens.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Central Park in the United States was also the subject of much controversy. But the reason Central Park has been maintained is precisely for such purposes, and Central Park is the very symbol that comes to mind when thinking of New York. While this may not be definitively sourced, someone once said that if apartments were built in Central Park, an equivalent area of psychiatric hospitals would soon be needed. That illustrates just how urgently green spaces are needed right now. If there were no surrounding land or no other way to supply housing, we could reconsider. But I have presented alternatives.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: In Yongsan, redevelopment and reconstruction projects currently account for over 40,000 units. In terms of apartment supply, that would result in a net increase of over 10,000 units. If a few more incentives are provided, the net increase will be even greater. There are methods like that.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: When Mayor Oh Se-hoon said something similar, President Lee Jae-myung reportedly remarked that the goal is to supply real estate, not raise prices. But when supply increases, prices go down.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Lawmaker, Yongsan Park is very large, and they are not developing the entire park into apartments. Do you also oppose developing just a portion of it, such as the Children's Garden or other sites like the military apartment site you mentioned earlier?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes. Yongsan Park must be left entirely as it is.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Completely as a whole?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Rather, the Lee Jae-myung administration claims to differentiate itself from past progressive administrations, though I do not know if that is truly the case. As I said, these sites were added onto the existing area during the Moon Jae-in administration. While adding to it was not easy, once you start subtracting and encroaching upon it, only an empty shell of Yongsan Park will remain in the end.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: In other words, if you start with the Children's Garden now, it will gradually expand and apartments could end up covering the entire area.
▶ Kwon Young-se: The reason it was designated as a park during the Roh Moo-hyun administration and codified into the Special Act on Yongsan Park was precisely to prevent it from being torn down and used whenever there is temporary demand for real estate.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Because it is prime real estate that everyone desires.
▶ Kwon Young-se: That's right. Because it is in the middle of the city center. Think about Central Park as well.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: If they want to do that, Representative Kim Min-seok should build in Yeouido Park, or there is another park in Yeongdeungpo. Building in such places would not require environmental cleanup, wouldn't it?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Since these parks all have their respective purposes, if housing is needed, they should look into other sites.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Looking at the alternatives you proposed within your constituency in Yongsan, you mentioned the Armed Forces Financial Management Corps site on Gyeongnidan-gil in Itaewon. I know where that is.
▶ Kwon Young-se: That is the "Gyeongnidan" of Gyeongnidan-gil.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes. You mean the site where Gyeongnidan used to be.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Right. Gyeongnidan is the old name, and the Armed Forces Financial Management Corps is the current name.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The current name. That site is quite large, isn't it?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: And you also mentioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs parking lot near the Itaewon Antique Furniture Street, which I am not familiar with, as well as the Bank of Korea dormitory in Huam-dong. While I do not know all three sites, I remember the Financial Management Corps site is very large.
▶ Kwon Young-se: It is over 10,000 pyeong (approx. 33,000 square meters).
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes. But since it is not vacant land, wouldn't it take considerable time to develop?
▶ Kwon Young-se: In the case of Yongsan Park, parts of it have not even been returned yet, and even after return, environmental remediation issues will take a very long time. For example, take the Camp Kim site that is mentioned occasionally these days. It was already returned and remediation work began, but that cleanup is still not finished. That was around 2021, so remediation has been ongoing for over five years. That is why it is currently excluded from consideration. But in the case of the Financial Management Corps, it consists of military barracks buildings, so they can easily be demolished and construction can begin immediately. Groundbreaking could probably happen within a year.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: And in the case of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs parking lot, by definition, it has just an administrative building and is otherwise vacant land. So work can start right away. Some say that would take time too, but construction does not happen overnight, so claiming that normal construction time counts as a delay makes no sense.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So, lawmaker, the alternatives you suggested near the Yongsan Park site can supply housing faster and in larger quantities.
▶ Kwon Young-se: I am not sure about larger quantities, but...
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Because that would require zoning changes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes, for large quantities. And right now, the Children's Garden represents a very large volume, but that is actually why it is problematic. I will explain that in a moment.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: They can be supplied faster.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes. If a few thousand units can be provided in Yongsan, and combined with new net additions from redevelopment and reconstruction, more than 10,000 units can be supplied. Seoul has 25 districts, and Yongsan is on the smaller side among them, so far more could easily be supplied across the city.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: However, although you presented alternatives, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport does not seem to be considering them so far. Looking at how the bill...
▶ Kwon Young-se: I believe they themselves have also been considering the Gyeongnidan site for some time.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The Gyeongnidan site?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Because that land is so vast.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Exactly.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But lawmaker, the Democratic Party says they will pass the bill today.
▶ Kwon Young-se: That is what is being reported today.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then wouldn't the People Power Party have no way to block it if the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport pushes ahead aggressively?
▶ Kwon Young-se: That is true. But even if they pass the law, if they attempt it in other areas of Yongsan Park, for instance, even though we have taken back the Children's Garden, there are reports that separate consultations with the U.S. military are required if buildings are to be constructed there. We sent an inquiry to the Ministry of National Defense to verify this, but they are dragging their feet and not giving a clear answer.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-se: For the rest, we do not know when they will be returned, nor do we know how long environmental cleanup will take after return, so that will truly take an indefinite amount of time.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Lawmaker, let's examine a few internal party issues. A short while ago, you made remarks to the effect that it is right for Representative Jang Dong-hyeok to step down for the sake of the party.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But yesterday, watching Representative Jang Dong-hyeok's appearance on YouTube, he said, "To win the general election, senior lawmakers shouldn't tell me, the party leader, to leave; senior lawmakers should declare they won't run. Nominating young people in those spots would be better for the party."
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Of course, he didn't specifically name you, but telling senior lawmakers not to run rather than asking him to leave—could that be interpreted as telling you to give up your Yongsan constituency and not run in the next election?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Would he really mean that? I think he made that remark because senior lawmakers are generally critical of him. This is not about telling someone to run or not run in the general election. For our party to win in the general election and the upcoming presidential election, we must show that we honorably take responsibility for issues we are accountable for. Reorganizing under a new leadership to prepare the party ahead of the general and presidential elections and moving forward vigorously would benefit our party. I was not telling Representative Jang Dong-hyeok not to run in the general election.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You did not say that.
▶ Kwon Young-se: But I believe showing accountability is certainly necessary even now, and looking at the party's recent situation and Representative Jang's remarks, it makes me feel even more firmly that stepping down is definitely the right choice.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: For the sake of the party. You made that recommendation with that belief still intact.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Today, I see that senior lawmakers with four or more terms are gathering. You will naturally attend, and reports suggest the demand for Representative Jang's resignation will be discussed again. Will you actually discuss that today?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Today's agenda seems to be less about that and more about the recent issue concerning the replacement of local party committee chapter heads. I also consider that inappropriate. If they have the replacement of incumbent lawmakers in mind, there is still more than a year and a half left until the general election. In the meantime, the ruling bloc is inviting our party's lawmakers to play golf and floating constitutional amendment talks.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You mean the President.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Yes. In such a situation, if things go wrong, lawmakers could lose their constituencies; how could they run with the same level of enthusiasm? Therefore, when we need to bolster our fighting strength rather than diminish it—especially when many battles and struggles are taking place inside the National Assembly—undermining these members is not the right direction. We need to lead our party in a way that boosts our fighting power, and we seem somewhat lacking in that regard.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Lawmaker, even if you ask Representative Jang Dong-hyeok to resign, he is not stepping down. It looks like he will continue, and yesterday Supreme Council Member Kim Min-soo began openly mentioning a consecutive term. It appears he intends to complete his term and seek re-election. What method are you contemplating? He does not seem likely to resign merely because people tell him to.
▶ Kwon Young-se: I believe making it clear that voices calling for resignation exist in various corners of our party is very meaningful in itself. We need to demonstrate that not everyone in our party is irresponsible. Ultimately, preventing this will depend on party members and our party's standard procedures to ensure a proper judgment is made. We cannot forcibly drag someone down, can we?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes. By standard procedures, do you mean things like the collapse of the Supreme Council through mass resignations of supreme council members?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Things like that. If the supreme council members have no intention of doing so, Representative Jang Dong-hyeok's tenure might continue until the national convention. Regarding what some are discussing about seeking re-election—just as candidate Jung Chung-rae ran again for party leader in the Democratic Party and failed—they seem to be considering something similar, but that does not look good. If someone had performed exceptionally well, people would have pleaded with them to run again.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Lawmaker, as a former Minister of Unification and a current member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, yesterday the President posted on social media that he "pays tribute to President Trump for scaling back South Korea–U.S. joint military exercises to foster an atmosphere of dialogue with North Korea." How do you view this? Do you believe the substantial reduction in South Korea–U.S. joint military drills can successfully lead to a potential North Korea–U.S. summit in November?
▶ Kwon Young-se: Well, I am not sure if that alone will make it happen. From North Korea's perspective, they broadly understand why the U.S. is acting this way, so I have doubts about whether they would readily respond based solely on that. More than that, I am very worried about the negative signals being sent to our alliance and various other alliances. I do not think President Trump's conduct the day before yesterday was good or commendable. While our government may have no choice but to respond as it did, I believe this is something we should be quite concerned about.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. We will conclude here. We have been speaking with People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se. Thank you.
▶ Kwon Young-se: Thank you.
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[SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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