Criticism of SNS posts related to real estate policy... “You have to admit failure and go back to square one.”
“Housing permits issued this year are the result of restoring projects that were eradicated during the Park Won-soon era.”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jun-tae = Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon took aim at President Lee Jae-myung on the 6th, saying, "Continuing mental victories while ignoring the facts will not change the results of the policy. It will only prolong the real estate hell that the people are going through."
Mayor Oh went on the offensive by posting on Facebook that day, saying, "Yesterday, after seeing the various real estate-related posts posted by the President on social networking services (SNS), I even thought that it would be pointless to persuade the President any longer."
He said, “There seems to be no hope in the future with the president’s narrow-minded perception that when housing prices rise, it is to blame for speculative forces, when side effects of policies are pointed out, there is resistance from vested interests, and when the people complain of pain, it is a backlash that must be endured during the reform process.”
Mayor Oh said, "Furthermore, the part where it was said that the increase in permits and construction starts in Seoul and the metropolitan area compared to the previous year was attributed to the government's speed game is laughable." He asked, "What kind of speed game did the government engage in? It takes more than 10 years on average from the establishment of a cooperative to the start of construction, but does the President have a magic lamp that can produce permits and construction starts in just one year?"
He continued, “The fact that the results of permits and construction starts began to come out sequentially starting this year is the result of the Seoul Metropolitan Government working day and night to restore the maintenance projects that were uprooted and even sprayed with herbicides during Mayor Park Won-soon’s time.” He added, “Although the maintenance projects for 389 locations and 430,000 homes were canceled during Mayor Park’s time, we put all our effort into creating conditions for permits and construction starts to take place as soon as possible by newly designating 214 locations and improving business feasibility.”
He said, “It is even pathetic to see the president ignoring this process of supply normalization and presenting a takeover-style interpretation.”
He also criticized, “The president also exposed the unfounded dichotomous thinking that ‘the conservative government encouraged speculation, and the progressive government suppressed speculation.’” and “What more can we expect from a president who cannot move even one step away from the perception that real estate is viewed as an ideology rather than a market principle?”
He pointed out, "According to what you said, house prices should have risen under a conservative government that encourages speculation and stabilized under a progressive government that suppresses speculation, but the reality is the exact opposite."
Mayor Oh said, "I think the president has lost confidence in real estate policy," and interpreted, "The more the slogan to beat down speculative forces grows and the more policies are packaged as reforms, the more it means that this government's real estate policy is heading toward failure."
He continued, “The President asked the people to take their time and wait a little longer,” and added, “This is not something to be said in front of the people who are upset because they cannot even find a house to move to immediately amidst the rent crisis.”
He concluded the article by saying, “Honestly acknowledge the failure of the real estate policy over the past year, and courageously declare that you will correct the wrong direction and start again from square one. Changing your thoughts and policies in the face of the people’s suffering is the true courage that a top government official can show.”
The day before, President Lee reaffirmed his policy stance in an article posted on In another article posted one after another, he said, "Except for the conservative government that encourages real estate speculation, each democratic government has tried to suppress real estate speculation, but it has not achieved the desired results."
