Photo: Former base site at Yongsan. Credit: News1.
In an odd reversal of roles, the Lee Jae-myung 이재명 administration found itself at loggerheads with Seoul mayor O Se-hun 오세훈 서울시장 over the proposed development of the former United States military base in Yongsan 용산.
Plans for the base, which is located in the heart of Seoul, have long called for it to be redeveloped as a park - but this month, the Lee administration proposed using a part of the area for public housing as a part of the administration’s drive to bring down rising housing costs.
O loudly opposed the plan, citing a need to preserve green spaces and proclaiming that he will not yield "even one centimeter" of the site. The Lee administration sees O’s opposition as a political ploy to reduce support for the president by restricting the supply of housing.
Democratic Party Assembly Member Kim Yeong-bae 김영배 의원, leader of the Seoul caucus for the liberal ruling party, pressured O by noting that the former military base site could potentially come under the direct administration of the Land Ministry 국토부, without consulting Seoul city hall.
