Seoul's Yongsan Park at Centre of Housing Showdown Between President and Mayor

A political battle over green space in Seoul has set President Lee Jae Myung against the capital's mayor, Oh Se-hoon, as the two leaders clash over how to ease a national housing crisis.

At issue is Yongsan Park, a 300-hectare site near the Han River that was slated to become a public park after more than a century as a military base, first under Japanese colonial rule and later for US forces. In August, Lee proposed building apartment towers on part of the site and removing protections from greenbelt zones and suburban golf courses to free up land for housing.

Oh, who has led Seoul on and off for two decades, said he would not surrender "a single centimetre" of the planned park to residential development. "We remain at odds over Yongsan Park," he said in an interview. "I cannot agree under any circumstances to using it as a site for apartments."

The mayor argues the park is needed to address what he calls Seoul's greenery deficit. He described the capital as "a city of water and mountains" where residents can see distant peaks but lack accessible green space in daily life, noting that Seoul residents have just a quarter of the greenery available to Londoners. About 60% of citizens live in apartment buildings.

The confrontation reflects a broader urban-policy dilemma: how densely populated megacities can tackle severe housing shortages without eroding liveability and environmental health. Seoul packs roughly 16,000 people per square kilometre, denser than London, New York or Tokyo.

The political stakes are high. Lee's public approval has fallen to a record low of 37%, with real-estate policy the biggest driver of dissatisfaction. Seoul apartment prices rose for a record 86 consecutive weeks through the first week of September.

Lee's centre-left Democratic Party won most major local races in June, but Oh's re-election as mayor handed the opposition a key foothold, leaving the president's policies exposed to resistance from the city government. Oh, a two-time presidential aspirant, is seen by analysts as a likely contender in 2030, while Lee, elected last year, is limited to a single five-year term.

On Friday, Lee acknowledged strong criticism of his real-estate policies but stopped short of announcing structural changes. He attributed part of the supply shortage to the city government, saying building permits and construction starts had been cut in half compared with earlier years. Oh, in turn, blames mortgage curbs and higher taxes introduced by Lee, arguing that reduced borrowing power has failed to cool demand and instead pushed up rents. The loan restrictions, he said, disproportionately hurt young first-time buyers while benefiting wealthier cash buyers.

Building apartments on the park site would require action by the National Assembly, as the land is protected by law. The presidential office referred questions about the controversy to the land ministry, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.