Is the Suspension of Gwanghwamun’s Audit Garden Project an Abuse of Power? Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s Bold Response

Daniel Kim 2026.02.10 Views

Mayor Oh Se-hoon strongly rebutted the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s unreasonable interpretation of the law regarding the suspension of construction for Gwanghwamun’s audit garden.
He warned of a hard-line response, stating that if the suspension is not justified by addressing incomplete points, the city will have no choice but to exercise its right to resist.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is pictured during a Q&A session at a New Year\'s press conference held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of January 10th. [Source: Seoul] — Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is pictured during a Q&A session at a New Year’s press conference held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of January 10th. [Source: Seoul]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon sharply criticized the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for impeding the audit garden project under construction in Gwanghwamun Square, calling it an abuse of authority.

During a New Year’s press conference at Seoul City Hall on the morning of January 10th, Mayor Oh stated, “Halting construction due to minor issues in project details that follow legal procedures can only be seen as an excessive abuse of power.”

On January 9th, the Ministry notified the Seoul Metropolitan Government of its intent to suspend construction, claiming that the auditor’s quota violated the Land Planning Act and the Road Act. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok also raised concerns, asserting that the Seoul Metropolitan Government had not taken necessary steps in the audit garden project. Mayor Oh refuted and criticized the central government’s assessment.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is shown during a Q&A session at a New Year\'s press conference held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of January 10th. [Source: Seoul] — Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is shown during a Q&A session at a New Year’s press conference held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of January 10th. [Source: Seoul]

Mayor Oh explained, “In their initial announcement, the Ministry said they would consider underground facilities as public spaces. However, they objected to classifying areas housing media facilities and symbols as underground sidewalks, which wasn’t included in yesterday’s announcement. It seemed as if Ministry officials were desperately searching for legal loopholes.”

Critics argue that the Ministry made an unreasonable judgment after deciding to obstruct the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s project, despite the fact that legal interpretations can vary.

Regarding the authority over the audit garden project, Mayor Oh asserted, “The Seoul mayor has the authority to proceed with the project.” He added, “It’s common sense to make numerous concessions and address any procedural shortcomings, but halting construction appears to be a predetermined goal and tactic.”

Mayor Oh also pointed out the Ministry’s apparent double standard, questioning, “How can the public understand that during the much larger Gwanghwamun Square expansion project in 2021 and 2022, we never finalized or announced an implementation plan, yet the Ministry remained silent then but now finds fault with this smaller project?”

Mayor Oh concluded by warning, “If the central government continues to abuse its excessive authority against the democratically elected Seoul city government, we will have no choice but to exercise our right to resist.”