Concerns have been raised about the government's plan to supply dwellings using state-owned land in urban areas. The method of supplying dwellings on idle land was proposed five years ago under former President Moon Jae-in, but has mostly not progressed due to opposition from residents and other factors. There are fears that if the policy for utilizing idle land follows the same pattern, the gap in housing supply could widen.
According to the National Assembly and the government on the 31st, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is seeking idle land that can be used to expand the supply of dwellings in urban areas. Utilizing existing idle land can increase the speed of housing supply compared to using new land.
Kim Yoon-deok, the Minister candidate for the Ministry of Land, also noted during a personnel hearing held the previous day that he would supply dwellings by seeking new idle land. When asked whether he would use existing idle land to supply dwellings, he said, "I am focusing on seeking new idle land."
However, the plan to build dwellings using idle land in urban areas may not be able to increase supply speed as expected. Previous governments also adopted measures to supply dwellings on idle land, but the situation has been sluggish. The Moon Jae-in government announced in 2020 that it would supply dwellings in large quantities by utilizing state-owned land in Seoul and neighboring areas, identifying 18 sites of idle land. However, except for one site in Magok that went unsold, the rest of the sites selected at that time have faced stalled development or slow progress due to opposition from residents and some departments.
Song Gi-heon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out, "When the Moon Jae-in government proposed a plan to supply 34,000 dwellings, it designated 18 idle land sites for public use in the metropolitan area, but only one of those has actually been realized. The rest are stagnant."
The Taereung Country Club site in Nowon District, Seoul, was initially expected to host 10,000 dwellings, but due to resident opposition, the supply scale has been reduced to 6,800 dwellings. Discussions are even underway among local politicians about creating a park. Recently, discussions about site development itself have been halted, leaving the project entirely stagnant.
The transfer of the Army Academy site in Nowon District, Seoul, has faced opposition from the Ministry of National Defense. The government complex in Gwacheon and the National Diplomatic Academy site in Seocho District, Seoul, have also faced construction delays due to resident opposition.
There are criticisms that the government's prior announcement of idle land without close consultation with local residents and other stakeholders has disrupted existing plans for dwelling supply.
Regarding the sluggish supply plan using existing idle land, the candidate said, "Utilizing idle land is not an easy issue," and added, "I am well aware that progress has not been made due to opposition from residents or disagreements with local governments."
At the same time, the candidate asked, "However, did past ministers go to the idle land with disagreements to negotiate directly with residents?" and stated, "For proper supply in the metropolitan area, policies need to be implemented not just as plans but through active administration and field administration."
Experts predict that the success of the housing supply policy utilizing idle land will be determined by its speed. A real estate expert stated, "It has already been proven that building dwellings on idle land is more difficult than expected," adding, "The success of the policy will depend on how quickly residents can be persuaded."
Lee Eun-hyung, a researcher at the Korea Construction Policy Institute, said, "The supply of dwellings on idle land cannot become mainstream," and added, "Utilizing idle land in the metropolitan area should be seen as meaning 'we will mobilize all possible means to supply as many dwellings as possible.'"