{"id":2198905,"date":"2022-09-07T10:30:38","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T10:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2198905"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:39","slug":"seoul-mayors-redevelopment-plans-risk-gutting-the-citys-cultural-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/09\/seoul-mayors-redevelopment-plans-risk-gutting-the-citys-cultural-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"Seoul mayor\u2019s redevelopment plans risk gutting the city\u2019s cultural heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"
Oh Se-hoon\u2019s days in the political wilderness are well behind him. He was re-elected Seoul mayor on June 1, becoming the first person to win a fourth non-consecutive term. Oh can now claim to have the democratic authority of residents behind his quest to fundamentally transform the city\u2019s urban fabric and nurture its global business potential.<\/span><\/p>\n Having run on a platform of promising to fix real estate problems as fast as possible, Mayor Oh vowed in his inauguration speech to stabilize the housing market \u201c<\/span>using all possible policy methods<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Identifying housing as the most critical challenge facing Seoul’s 10 million or so residents, he pledged that his administration would build high-quality rental housing, targeting low-income and economically vulnerable populations, young couples and single-person households.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But the mayor has yet to elaborate on how he will achieve these aspirations, or how he plans to expand affordable housing while not displacing existing residents or commercial tenants. Oh also has not explained how he plans to square any of this with a pro-business agenda that he says will transform Seoul’s international competitiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n On the one hand, Oh admits that rapid development has resulted in <\/span>widening wealth inequality and social exclusion<\/span><\/a>. On the other, he has committed to normalizing rapid redevelopment by expediting approval processes and loosening building restrictions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, urban development is not bad per se; it has the potential to bring social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits. But the path to creating a sustainable future must be managed carefully, with sensitivity to preserving the space and memories of those residents and business owners who made Seoul what it is today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n