Seoul mayor denied chance to speak on housing at 1st Cabinet meeting since reelection

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. The meeting marked Oh's first in-person encounter with the president since the June 3 local elections, amid sharp differences over housing policy. Yonhap

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was denied an opportunity to publicly address housing policy at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, his first in-person encounter with President Lee Jae Myung since beginning his fifth term as mayor of the Korean capital.

This marked Oh's first Cabinet meeting in 11 months, since August 2025, and his first since he was reelected in the closely contested June 3 local elections. The encounter drew attention as the mayor and the president have diverging views on housing policy, with Oh expected to present his views directly to Lee.

Lee, who resumed chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting after returning from the NATO summit in Turkey and a state visit to Mongolia, congratulated Oh on his reelection and gave him the floor before the live broadcast open session moved behind closed doors.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook had presided over last week's meeting — the first since newly elected local government officials took office on July 1 — in the president's absence.

As an attending official rather than a Cabinet member, Oh could speak only when given the floor by the president or the prime minister.

But when Oh began to speak about the Seoul Metropolitan Government's housing policy, Lee cut him off, saying, "Let's discuss that another time."

The Seoul mayor responded that his report contained some points the president might find uncomfortable, expressing hope that Lee “would read it carefully so that a balanced range of views could be taken into account.”

Oh was also denied an opportunity to speak on housing policy during an earlier discussion led by the prime minister.

The discussion focused on plans to gather public opinion on the government's housing policy.

Oh asked for the floor, saying, "Prime Minister, may the mayor of Seoul say a few words?"

Han, however, declined the request, noting that a series of public forums on housing policy had already been scheduled.

Explaining her decision, Han said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport would hold a discussion on housing supply later Tuesday, the Financial Services Commission on financial issues, Wednesday, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy on tax issues, Thursday.

"I think we should move on," Han said, adding that Oh's views would instead be accepted in written form.

Oh responded that the Seoul Metropolitan Government had prepared a report and had shared it with presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, and Land Minister Kim Yun-duk.

A couple of hours after the Cabinet meeting, Oh held a briefing at City Hall where he announced that the city government had submitted eight policy proposals aimed at normalizing Seoul's real estate market.

The city said regulation-focused policies alone had limits in stabilizing the market and protecting end users, calling for institutional reforms to restore market function and build a stable foundation for housing supply.