오세훈 “용산공원에 주택 공급 동의하면 역사의 죄인”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon firmly opposed the government's plan to provide affordable housing in Yongsan Park, stating that it would make him a "criminal in history." After meeting with Housing and Urban Development Minister Kim Yoon-duck on the 20th, Mayor Oh declared his clear position against converting the entire Yongsan Park land into apartment land.

Kim mentioned to the National Assembly's Committee on Housing and Urban Development that they were reviewing whether to provide limited housing, particularly for young adults, in the park, including areas that would lose their green space functionality. These areas include the military housing (around 135,000 square meters), army apartments (around 45,000 square meters), and the former Ministry of National Defense site (around 95,000 square meters).

Mayor Oh emphasized that the military apartments, military housing, and the Ministry of National Defense site are all considered part of the original Yongsan Park land. He argued that the Special Act's purpose is not only to preserve the park's green area but to fully develop it as a park. However, Kim did not specify the exact locations of the land the government is reviewing for development.

When asked about the possibility of changing the use of Yongsan Park, Mayor Oh stated that the government could not prevent the National Assembly from amending the special law, but that the city must maintain Yongsan Park as a space for future generations. He suggested using scattered national land around Yongsan Park for housing development, mentioning the military management unit near Gyeongui Line Station and the foreign ministry annex building as examples.

This includes land near Gyeongui Line Station that is part of the Green Belt area, which has been proposed by Gukhwan Seok, a National Assembly member representing Yongsan District. Mayor Oh reiterated his opposition to the government's proposal to abolish Seoul's green belt (Greenbelt) in 2024 and to further abolish green belts.