Minister Park Sang-woo said, "I will devote myself to expanding supply in response to the demand for dwellings," adding that, "To increase the scale of housing supply, we will expand the supply volume of the public sector, including new construction and rental housing, and actively pursue regulatory easing for redevelopment projects."
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 12th, Minister Park noted during a meeting with reporters held in the Doudam-dong area of Sejong City the previous day that, "Despite difficult conditions last year, the number of housing starts increased by 26%, and the number of permits for APT.s in Seoul and the metropolitan area also increased."
Last year, the national number of housing starts was 305,000 units, up from 242,000 units the previous year. The number of housing permits nationwide was 428,000 units, similar to the previous year. However, the number of permits for APT.s in Seoul and the metropolitan area increased by 18% to 255,000 units from 216,000 units the previous year.
Minister Park also anticipated an expansion of housing supply through the revitalization of redevelopment projects. He stated, "The National Assembly is scheduled to review bills in the last week of February," adding that "Major livelihood bills, including the Reconstruction Promotion Act for redevelopment revitalization and the Private Rental Housing Act for introducing new types of long-term rentals, are still pending in the National Assembly." He emphasized, "I will do my utmost to ensure that major bills are processed in the February National Assembly."
Minister Park said that the final selection results for regional strategic projects that do not apply total quantity regulations for greenbelt release will be announced soon.
In response to the increase in unsold dwellings, Minister Park stated, "I will lead a prompt economic recovery and boost domestic demand through active financial execution and the reduction of unsold dwellings."
In this context, Minister Park explained that swift follow-up measures regarding the Jeju Air incident are also underway. He said, "We held a ceremony to pledge our commitment to focus all capabilities on enhancing aviation safety with representatives from the airport corporation and airlines," adding that, "Airlines also intend to recruit over 400 maintenance personnel and expand safety investments this year."
Minister Park added, "Through the Aviation Safety Innovation Committee, composed of private experts, we will prepare fundamental reform measures regarding overall aviation safety and announce the aviation safety innovation plan by April."
Additionally, Minister Park emphasized that safety in all fields, including aviation, construction, and transportation, will be prioritized. To this end, following the implementation of a battery certification system and a history management system for electric vehicle fire safety, as well as a real-name system for batteries this month, plans to improve the qualification maintenance examination system for senior transportation workers, which has a pass rate of 99% but raised effectiveness concerns, will also be announced this month. Furthermore, safety measures to prevent falls, which account for half of fatal accidents, will be disclosed at the end of this month.
Minister Park said, "I plan to frequently visit sites whenever possible" and added, "I will strive to prevent safety accidents by not missing the potential risk factors present in the field."