The Democratic Party of Korea and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon are engaged in a fierce "blame game" over the housing supply shortage in Seoul. The Democratic Party went on the offensive by highlighting the sharp decline in housing construction starts during Mayor Oh's tenure, while Mayor Oh countered that the root cause lies in the collapse of the supply foundation due to redevelopment and reconstruction regulations imposed during the previous Democratic Party city administration.

[Democratic Party: "Housing Construction Starts Plummeted Due to Oh Se-hoon's Policy Failures"] Amid the recent controversy over the government's real estate tax revision plan, the Democratic Party directly targeted Mayor Oh's housing supply policy in an effort to fend off attacks from the People Power Party. The Democratic Party claimed that housing construction starts for apartments and villas in Seoul plummeted during Mayor Oh's tenure, leading to the current housing supply shortage. Specifically, Policy Committee Chairperson Han Jeong-ae pointed out, "Since 2023, housing construction starts in Seoul have dropped to one-third of previous levels." Supreme Council Member Jeon Yong-gi also emphasized, "The number of apartment units available for move-in in Seoul is only 18,000 this year, and will drop to 8,000 next year, 5,000 in 2028, and just 1,000 in 2029." The Democratic Party also took issue with Mayor Oh's opposition to the government's greenbelt deregulation and the utilization plan for the Yongsan Children's Garden.

[Oh Se-hoon: "Lost Opportunity to Supply 430,000 Households Due to Democratic Party's Redevelopment Regulations"] In response to the Democratic Party's criticism, Mayor Oh countered that the supply foundation was weakened due to large-scale maintenance zone regulations implemented during the tenure of former Mayor Park Won-soon. On his social media on the 7th, Mayor Oh asked, "Do you think the public does not know who is responsible for causing the current supply crisis?" He continued, "Who was it that viewed redevelopment and reconstruction as speculation and brought maintenance projects to a halt?" He claimed, "During the Democratic Party's 10 years in city office, 389 redevelopment and reconstruction projects were dissolved, resulting in the loss of a supply opportunity amounting to 430,000 households." Additionally, Mayor Oh presented Seoul city data showing the net increase in units from 59 completed maintenance projects over the past three years. According to the data, housing units increased by 27.4% (7,000 households) through redevelopment and 44.2% (13,000 households) through reconstruction. Mayor Oh criticized the Democratic Party for denying facts clearly supported by data and obstructing Seoul's maintenance projects. In particular, he noted that the Democratic Party candidate in the last Seoul mayoral election had campaigned on a pledge similar to the Rapid Integrated Planning system, and declared, "Refusing to acknowledge responsibility for the supply cliff and only repeating blame-shifting only reveals a lack of genuine commitment to supply." He added, "Rather than scheming to avoid the public's whip, they should listen to the voices of citizens and those on the ground who are waiting for maintenance projects to proceed. The public wants to see actual supply happening, not just words."

[Han Byung-do's Counter-Argument and Oh Se-hoon's Rebuttal] Meanwhile, Democratic Party Acting Leader and Floor Leader Han Byung-do stated at a party strategy meeting, "Has everyone forgotten that under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the number of housing construction starts dropped significantly, the construction of third-generation new towns was delayed, and housing supply was repeatedly postponed?" He also criticized Mayor Oh for fueling market confusion by calling for the lifting and redesignation of land transaction permit zones. In response, Mayor Oh reiterated his stance with visible frustration, stating, "Not only did they dry up the seeds of supply, but they also sprayed weed killer, and now they are shifting the blame for the recent supply cliff — this is nothing but sheer hypocrisy."

This is a developing story.