The exchange between Seoul mayoral candidates Jung Won-oh of the Democratic Party of Korea and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party has intensified as the gap in their approval ratings narrows. Jung went on the offensive by pointing to Oh as the official responsible for the "missing rebar" incident at Samsung Station on the Great Train eXpress (GTX)-A line, while Oh targeted the Democratic Party's weak point on real estate by unveiling housing measures for young people.
Jung visited the GTX-A Samsung Station construction site on the 17th to personally inspect the situation related to construction errors, including missing rebar. "If such a serious defect has occurred, all construction should be halted, safety should be reinforced through countermeasure meetings, and only then should additional construction proceed," Jung said. "The fact that this was not done lays bare the Seoul Metropolitan Government's irresponsible complacency about safety."
Jung added that "the line of officials who took responsibility and approved (the overall construction) is said to be at the bureau chief level," and urged Oh to "answer when he first received reports on the defective construction incident and what measures he took."
Responding to Jung's preemptive attack, Oh shot back, "It seems he is now feeling the pressure (in approval ratings)," and dismissed the issue, saying, "Looking into the circumstances, it is purely a fault on the part of Hyundai Engineering & Construction."
Oh then unveiled his "Seoul My Home" pledge, under which young people without homes would pay only 20 percent of a property's price while the public sector covers the rest. Under the plan, homeless young people aged 19 to 39 select and apply for a home of their choice priced at or below the Seoul median of 1.2 billion won, and the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH) purchases it. The young buyer pays only 20 percent of the price, while SH covers the remainder. When the buyer decides to sell, they receive capital gains corresponding to their equity share at market price. "Seoul will be the first to create a system in which development gains flow not into the wallets of a few but into the assets of future generations," Oh said.
