Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said additional measures following the Oct. 15 real estate package will be announced as early as mid-January.
The Minister said this in response to a reporter's question about the timeline for additional measures during a Q&A session held after the launch ceremony of the housing supply promotion headquarters at the government complex in Sejong on the morning of the 2nd. The Minister said, "I have to go on a business trip to the United States in January," adding, "I am thinking of proceeding right after I return and am preparing for that."
From the 3rd to the 11th, the Minister is expected to visit Las Vegas, Washington and San Francisco to experience CES and Autonomous Driving vehicles. Because of this, the additional measures are expected to be announced as early as mid-January, immediately after the Minister returns, or by late January at the latest.
When asked whether the real estate market remains overheated, the Minister said, "Before we announced the Oct. 15 package, prices were on a steep upward trend, but we judge that price increases in the market have slowed compared with then," while adding, "However, since the situation has not completely stabilized, we believe continuous management of dwellings is necessary."
The Minister added, "What the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is in charge of is the supply issue, and supply cannot just 'pop' out all at once, so we are continuing to scour every area in the greater Seoul area and are in the process of preparing to announce the (supply measures)."
Regarding the controversy over a sharp rise in jeonse prices, the Minister said, "Looking at the trend, jeonse is not in extremely short supply, but I think we are facing difficulties as the available volume continues to decrease," adding, "We are considering whether we can supply new types such as urban block-type dwellings."
At the launch ceremony of the housing supply promotion headquarters that day, the Minister emphasized, "We are preparing various measures so that we can supply quality dwellings promptly and swiftly," adding, "There are difficulties in that housing supply does not proceed easily or quickly, and the housing supply promotion headquarters will serve as an entity that can push this work forward more professionally and with greater speed."
The Minister continued, "In the past, because there were silos between departments, there were difficulties where work did not proceed properly due to poor communication at times, but we removed the silos between departments and enabled systematic work centered on the housing supply promotion headquarters," adding, "Going forward, centered on the headquarters, we will strive not just to increase housing supply quantitatively, but to build good homes where needed to produce direct, positive results in people's lives."
The housing supply promotion headquarters is a Deputy Minister-level dedicated housing supply organization created by bringing together the housing supply functions dispersed within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), centered on the public housing promotion team, a Director General-level unit that has been operated as a temporary (separate) organization for the 21st year, including land development (public housing promotion team), private redevelopment projects (housing policy bureau), and the reorganization of aging planned cities (urban maintenance planning team). It is expected to serve as a control tower responsible for the entire process of supply—from planning through execution to management—covering both supply entities (public and private) and supply types (land, urban supply, and maintenance).
Kim Young-guk, the inaugural head of the housing supply promotion headquarters, passed the 39th civil service exam and served as head of metropolitan urban roads, head of aviation policy, and head of housing policy, and most recently served as aviation safety policy director.