Ruling and opposition candidates for Seoul mayor traded blows over real estate policy on Wednesday, a month ahead of the June 3 local elections, with the issue set to sway voter sentiment. Jung Won-oh of the Democratic Party accused Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party of "bringing up tax issues at every election to stoke anxiety and escalate real estate conflicts." Mayor Oh fired back, saying the "Park Won-soon Season 2 debate cannot and should not be avoided."
At a campaign steering committee meeting held at his camp office in Jung-gu, Seoul, Jung criticized Oh, saying, "Mayor Oh is still trapped in the outdated framework of 2022." Referring to Oh's move early last year to lift and then reinstate the land transaction permit system in the Gangnam and Songpa areas, Jung said, "He is the very person who impulsively lifted Seoul's land transaction permit system and reversed course 35 days later, aggravating market confusion." He added, "Now shifting the blame to the government is inconsistent."
Responding to Oh's repeated questions about his stance on the special long-term holding deduction for housing capital gains tax, Jung reiterated his existing position, saying, "The current rights of single-home owners who actually reside in their homes must be protected unconditionally." He continued, "Yet if he continues to deliberately distort the facts by talking about abolition and fuels conflict with false agitation, he will not escape the stern judgment of citizens." He added, "He couldn't utter a proper word in the face of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's incompetence and reckless behavior, but now he is picking fights with the capable Lee Jae-myung administration."
In response, Oh wrote on Facebook, "Candidate Jung is avoiding the 'Park Won-soon Season 2' debate. To admit failure is to fear the defection of his support base, but to evaluate it as successful is difficult because the scars of the lost decade are clear." He added, "I hope he answers with confidence." Mayor Oh launched his election committee that day with 12 citizens placed at the forefront as co-chairs, officially kicking off his campaign.
Meeting with reporters at a victory rally in Yongsan-gu, Oh targeted Jung's pledge to accelerate redevelopment and reconstruction projects, saying, "When former Mayor Park Won-soon blocked progress on the Seongsu strategic redevelopment zone, Jung, as head of Seongdong-gu Office, never proposed moving the project forward." He added, "Yet he says he will 'steadily develop.' This blatant lie must be judged."
Oh also stressed his position on the special long-term holding deduction that day, saying, "Is it a crime to have held onto the one house you prepared by devoting your whole life, trusting the government's tax policy? Abolition is absolutely unacceptable." Wearing the party's symbolic red jacket for a second straight day, Oh said, "I am the legitimate heir of the People Power Party. I am the one who has defended the People Power Party the longest, so who else would wear it if not me?"
