Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport bowed his head, saying he was "deeply sorry as the minister in charge of real estate issues," over the recent "triple rally" in the Seoul metropolitan area, where apartment sale, jeonse and monthly rent prices are rising in tandem. He stressed, "We will wage an all-out war to supply dwellings with a 'just build, no matter what' mindset at a breakneck pace." On supplying dwellings on the Yongsan Park site in Seoul, he said the ministry is considering site selection not only for the children's park but for the entire Yongsan Park. On the preview of announcing additional public housing sites for 73,000 households, he said consultations with local governments have already been completed.
Minister Kim stated accordingly at a press briefing on the first anniversary of his inauguration held at the Government Complex Sejong on Aug. 14. On this day, Minister Kim reviewed the past year's achievements and outlined concrete plans on key issues, including dwellings supply measures and the second transfer of public institutions.
Minister Kim picked speed as the core of the "rapid dwellings supply plan for stabilizing the jeonse, monthly rent and sales markets" released the day before. He said, "To escape the supply cliff, we will push an extraordinary pace across new towns, redevelopment and reconstruction, and both private and public sectors," adding, "Even if it means lifting already damaged greenbelts, we will proceed across the board with the so-called 'just build, no matter what' approach in rapid speed and volume."
On the additional public housing sites for 73,000 households unveiled in the Aug. 13 supply measures, he said, "These are volumes finalized in consultation with local governments," adding, "We will aim to make an announcement specifying exactly where by late September, or preferably in early October."
Addressing criticism that the plan runs counter to the president's stance that redevelopment and reconstruction projects have little effect on increasing supply, he explained it was "intended to warn against overreliance on redevelopment and reconstruction." Minister Kim said, "A typical frame used to criticize the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is 'it only does public projects and not private,' but in Seoul the private share is 90% and the public is 10%," adding, "No one would ignore a 90% private share and supply only through the public sector. Redevelopment and reconstruction are very important tools for supplying dwellings, and we will do our best to support them through permitting support centers and the like."
Regarding concerns that consultations are not going well with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which opposes lifting the greenbelt, Minister Kim said, "I have a meeting scheduled with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday," signaling a willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue. He acknowledged that, legally and institutionally, the authority to designate public dwelling districts lies with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), but he drew a line against unilateral action.
Minister Kim said, "The principle that MOLIT and the Seoul Metropolitan Government must put their heads together to expand supply remains unchanged," adding, "We must not show incompetence by doing nothing just because the city opposes, but I also believe the approach of 'we'll go our own way because we have the authority' is not acceptable."
In addition, on reviewing the supply of dwellings within the Yongsan Park site, he said, "This is not limited to the children's garden; we are keeping the entire Yongsan Park open for consideration," and emphasized, "There are many hurdles to clear, including consultations with U.S. forces, decontamination, and consultations with the National Assembly and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan District and the Ministry of National Defense, but we will keep all possibilities open and review them for the sake of supply."
On the second transfer of public institutions, Minister Kim presented a clear standard, saying, "Barring special exceptions, relocation to innovation cities is the principle." He said, "We will never allocate them piecemeal to local governments; we will pursue a transfer based on agglomeration and concentration that can generate ripple effects, such as with anchor corporations and research institutes." On transferring administrative agencies, he added, "The president instructed us to 'aim to make what remains in Seoul zero (0),'" stressing that the government will push a full relocation targeting "zero" presence, beyond merely minimizing remaining agencies.
Meanwhile, Minister Kim cited "Everyone's Card" as the task that produced the most results over the past year. He said, "When President Lee Jae-myung asked, 'What did you really do well?' I mentioned Everyone's Card, whose subscribers recently surpassed 6 million," adding, "It has established itself as a national transit card that allows convenient use of public transportation not only in the Seoul metropolitan area but also in the provinces."
In addition, the reform plan for Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), which was initially scheduled to be released at the end of June, is expected to be made public in September. Discussions are also underway on the Saemangeum master plan (MP), and results are expected soon.