Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 20th that "we intend to announce additional measures to supply dwellings within the year, if possible." As the housing supply crunch in the greater Seoul area is severe, the plan is to keep open various possibilities, including lifting development-restricted zones (greenbelts) and targeting areas that were difficult to develop in the past, and to identify candidate housing sites.
At 10 a.m. that day at the headquarters of HJ Shipbuilding & Construction in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, after a plaque unveiling for the joint supply task force (TF) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) and the LH Special Headquarters for Housing Supply, the Minister told reporters, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is determined to supply additional dwellings," adding, "It requires very practical fact-finding, so we cannot specify a time, but we are preparing with the aim of an announcement by year-end."
At the same time, the Minister said, "We are also reviewing places that were pursued under the Moon Jae-in administration but did not go well due to various difficulties," and emphasized, "With everything on the table, we are comprehensively reviewing where in Seoul and the greater Seoul area to supply dwellings, including what the previous administration advanced, redevelopment of old government office sites, redevelopment and reconstruction, and whether to lift greenbelts (development-restricted zones)."
In particular, the Minister said, "I think there was an aspect where the previous administration announced (supply) when preparations were insufficient, leading to a loss of market confidence. We will announce clear, well-prepared details."
The Minister also said, "The current vacancies in the first vice minister post at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the LH presidency are important variables in the dwelling supply issue," adding, "We believe it is necessary to appoint the first vice minister and the LH president as soon as possible to reduce the gap, and we are proceeding with the process."
In particular, the Minister also expressed a willingness to create a new Housing Supply Headquarters within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). "By year-end, we are consulting with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on creating a housing headquarters by establishing an official organizational unit within MOLIT and expanding the current Housing and Land Office into a Deputy Minister-level department," he said.
Regarding criticism that the dwelling supply effort is out of sync with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Minister said, "In last week's meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, I received 18 proposals, and we are reviewing more than 80% to 90% of them positively," adding, "There is no major problem with MOLIT and the Seoul Metropolitan Government joining hands so that the public will not worry."
On the Yongsan Maintenance Depot redevelopment project, where conflict has recently surfaced between MOLIT and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Minister said, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government has its direction, and MOLIT has its own," adding, "We are conducting concrete consultations, and I believe a positive conclusion is possible."