Oh Se-hoon rebuffs Lee's claim on housing permits, vows 310,000 units by 2031

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Wednesday that the sharp rise in cumulative housing permits from January through August this year was the result of five years of all-out effort by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to revitalize urban renewal projects, and called for "a clear-eyed assessment of what the central government actually contributed."

Speaking at a press conference marking 100 days since taking office for his ninth elected term, Oh rebuffed President Lee Jae Myung's characterization of the surge in permits and construction starts across Seoul and the greater metropolitan area as the government's "blitz." Oh said more than half of the cumulative permits — some 22,000 units — came from urban renewal projects. "This is the result of Seoul's efforts to fast-track zone designations and reviews," he said. "Crediting it to the government's blitz makes no sense."

Oh directly challenged Lee's recent move to highlight the central government's housing permit and construction figures, insisting the numbers reflect the city's own work to normalize housing supply.

On Monday, Lee had posted on social media that housing permits and construction starts in Seoul through August this year had each risen more than 40 percent compared with the same period last year, citing the figures as evidence of the government's housing supply achievements.

Lee has long argued that the sharp drop in housing permits and construction starts under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration led directly to the current housing supply shortage. At a press conference on Sept. 18, he said, "Looking at the short-term causes, permits and construction starts were cut in half starting in 2022 — the year the Yoon Suk Yeol administration took office and the year Mayor Oh Se-hoon was elected — and supply remained nearly halved through 2025."

Oh had also addressed the issue directly on social media Tuesday, writing that the permit and construction results beginning to emerge this year were "the fruit of Seoul's round-the-clock work to restore urban renewal projects that were uprooted and salted during the tenure of former Mayor Park Won-soon."

Oh said that while 389 renewal zones covering 430,000 units had been canceled under Park, the city had worked to designate 214 new zones and improve project viability "to create conditions for permits and construction starts to proceed as quickly as possible."

Oh also reaffirmed his commitment to breaking ground on a total of 310,000 units in Seoul by 2031 by accelerating redevelopment and reconstruction projects. Public housing secured through those projects is also planned for young people and newlyweds, including through the long-term jeonse program "Mirinaezip."

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, about 15,000 units from renewal projects broke ground last year, and the city is targeting 30,000 groundbreakings this year. By 2028, it plans to begin construction on 85,000 units across 85 zones.

Oh added that reaching the 310,000-unit target by 2031 would require central government support. "The government only began showing a more constructive attitude toward supporting private renewal projects two or three months ago," he said, adding that regulatory improvements — including a temporary lifting of restrictions on transferring union membership status and higher floor-area ratios for redevelopment — would need to translate into tangible results.

Oh said minimizing disputes among residents would be key to accelerating progress in designated renewal zones. "Seoul is running programs that dispatch project facilitators and conflict-management coordinators to help mediate disputes," he said. "Whether those efforts deliver results on the ground will determine the pace of progress."

On the recent "triple surge" — simultaneous rises in home purchase prices, jeonse and monthly rent — Oh said the government had "failed to stabilize housing prices," adding that a shortage of jeonse supply and rising housing costs were eating into household budgets and dragging down the administration's approval ratings.

Meanwhile, Oh unveiled "Quality-of-Life Special City, Seoul" as the official slogan for his ninth-term administration. "From now on, I will measure the success of every policy by how much citizens actually feel the difference," he said. "I will look not just at how many homes were supplied, but at how much we have eased people's worries about housing."