President Lee Jae-myung on the 13th, regarding real estate supply measures, said, "We must shorten all kinds of permitting procedures as much as possible, and we should not be bound by existing regulations when it comes to housing sites; if necessary, we must secure them in a bold manner even by revising laws and systems."
In the afternoon, at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee presided over a senior secretaries' meeting and said, "Since a supply cliff has occurred from 2022 to now, extraordinary efforts are needed to fill it," adding, "In the case of supply policy, there are many practical constraints and the lead time is long, so we must wage an all-out, across-the-board supply drive with an even more exceptional resolve."
Earlier in the day, the government released measures to additionally supply a total of '230,000 dwellings + α,' including 100,000 new housing-site dwellings in the greater Seoul area. Previously released sites such as the Gwacheon Racecourse and Taereung CC will also begin phased construction starting in 2029, and the period from announcement to groundbreaking for public housing sites will be shortened from the current 68 months to 37 months. Seoul's Yeomchang Park in Gangseo District and station areas in Namyangju and Gwangju, Gyeonggi, will be designated as new public housing districts to supply 27,000 dwellings, and the plan also includes lifting the greenbelt (development-restricted zone) near the urban station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line in Namyangju to build a "mini new town" of at least 20,000 dwellings.
Lee said, "We must concentrate all available means and capabilities on resolving the real estate issue, a ticking time bomb that threatens people's lives and the nation's future," adding, "A bold and speedy supply, a fair and rational system of taxes, and an organic combination of meticulous and robust financial policies are more essential than anything."
Lee also said the so-called "marriage penalty" will be actively improved. Lee said, "When people marry, they end up being disadvantaged compared to when they were single. If single, men and women each have separate opportunities, but when combined, they are reduced. This is unreasonable," adding, "It would be good to identify all the wrong points in each area and create systems so that people do not feel it is unfair."
Lee also pushed back against criticism that the government's tax reform plan, which spans real estate and financial markets, is a "patchwork." Lee said, "Once a policy is announced, there is a tendency to avoid changing it because people might judge that if we change it, it lacks consistency and flip-flops, but that is the old way." He continued, "Public officials cannot be 100% perfect, so the normal process is to do our best to craft a proposal, and then reasonably review, debate, and incorporate good suggestions to create a better policy."