Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has unveiled a blueprint to transform downtown areas of the capital city into greener spaces following the planned relocation of the presidential office.

In a press conference on Tuesday marking his first year in office, Oh expressed plans to develop the city center so that high-rise buildings and urban greenery coexist, improving the convenience and comfort of the downtown area. He added that a new green project will be announced.

The mayor said that height restrictions on buildings will be lifted while also turning public spaces green, noting that Seoul's green space ratio is tiny compared to other major cities. He pledged to raise the ratio, currently at about seven to eight percent including parks, to at least over ten percent. The ratio in cities such as London and New York stands at 15 to 25 percent, he said.

The mayor was also critical of the idea of relocating the Korea Development Bank to the southern port city of Busan, calling it a loss-inducing experiment with excessive focus on only balanced national development.

He said moving state-run banks to the provinces can result in self-inflicted damage to the country as a whole.

Oh, who is serving out a term left by his late predecessor, is set to run for re-election during the local elections slated for June 1.