Seoul mayor denied chance to speak on housing policy at Cabinet meeting
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-yoon was told to submit his views in writing instead, to which he replied that he had already delivered a report to the presidential chief of staff for policy, the land minister and the deputy prime minister.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a Cabinet meeting on July 14.NEWS1
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attempted to comment on the government’s housing policy during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House on Tuesday but was told to submit his views in writing instead.
During the meeting, which Oh attended in a nonvoting capacity, Oh asked Prime Minister Han Seong-sook whether he could say a few words about the country’s real estate policies as the mayor of Seoul.
Han, however, turned Oh down, saying, “We will have a public policy discussion forum on this issue, so I think that it would be best to move on.”
The prime minister then introduced a series of upcoming meetings on housing policy.
“The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is holding a forum on housing supply today, the Financial Services Commission will host one on financial issues on [Wednesday] and the Ministry of Finance and Economy will hold another on tax policy on [Thursday],” Han said. “I hope that many citizens will participate […] to share their opinions. As for what you would like to share, Mayor [Oh], we will accept it in writing.”
When Oh attempted to continue speaking, Han said, “We will take note of the matter,” and brought the exchange to a close.
President Lee Jae Myung chaired Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, which marked Oh’s first since August 2025, as well as his first since winning a fifth term as Seoul mayor in the June 3 local elections.
During the mayoral election campaign, Oh pledged to attend Cabinet meetings to convey public sentiment on the housing market to the president and offer policy recommendations.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at his inauguration ceremony in Jung District, central Seoul, on July 1 as he begins his fifth term at City Hall.NEWS1
After Han asked Oh to submit his thoughts in writing, he said, “I already delivered a report prepared by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to the presidential chief of staff for policy, the land minister and the deputy prime minister.
“Since it seems I won’t have an opportunity to talk today, I will let the report speak for itself.”
Han replied by saying that she would “review it carefully.”
President Lee briefly joined the conversation.
“When you submit the report, please also include a status update on how Seoul’s reconstruction and redevelopment projects are progressing and explain why the housing supply remains insufficient,” he said.
Oh responded that the requested contents were already part of the report.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
