Seoul's mayor defends redevelopment as the city's only large-scale route to new housing

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon toured redevelopment sites in Yongsan District on 11 August 2026 to rebut the national government's claim that redevelopment does not increase the number of homes. The city says 253 renewal projects due to break ground by 2031 will build about 310,000 homes, a net gain of about 87,000 after demolitions. Oh said that in Seoul, "where available land is scarce," renewal projects are "effectively the only large-scale supply solution."

The dispute is over how to count. Gross figures overstate gains when homes are demolished, so Seoul argues in net terms. Where land is scarce, the speed and terms of redevelopment become the main supply lever. Dense cities can watch whether renewal delivers the promised net gains, and how relocation during construction affects nearby rents.