At the confirmation hearing for Minister nominee Hong Ji-seon of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 16th, the execution of the government's dwellings supply measures is expected to be the core focus of scrutiny. In 2021, when Hong was head of the Urban and Housing Bureau in Gyeonggi Province, Hong criticized the central government's third new town policy and emphasized "transport first, move-in later." How to coordinate the new town transport issues Hong pointed out at the time with the government's speed drive on supply is cited as a key point of contention.
The process of purchasing a Seoul apartment using loans and family borrowing fund is also expected to be a main issue at the hearing. With the government tightening dwelling loan regulations in the greater Seoul area, the opposition is expected to press whether the nominee who will oversee real estate policy bought a dwelling in a manner consistent with the government's policy stance.
According to the National Assembly on the 14th, the Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee will hold Hong's confirmation hearing on the 16th. Hong is a former bureaucrat who handled construction, urban dwellings, roads, and railways in Gyeonggi Province for 28 years and was appointed second vice minister at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) at the end of last year.
On the morning commute on the 31st, after being nominated as Minister, Hong said, "We will swiftly implement the released dwellings supply and accelerate so that it becomes a policy with execution power that leads to actual groundbreaking and occupancy."
At the hearing, plans to speed up the supply of the third new towns and new public housing sites while building the metropolitan transit network on time are expected to be discussed intensively.
In an administrative audit at the Gyeonggi Provincial Council in November 2021, when Hong was head of the Urban and Housing Bureau in Gyeonggi Province, Hong said, "Most of the new towns to ease Seoul's dwelling shortage are being located in Gyeonggi Province, shaking the foundation of urban planning," and added, "To avoid repeating the mistakes of the second new towns, we will fully consult with central ministries with the goal of transport first, move-in later for the third new towns."
Five years after pressing the central government for transport measures, Hong now faces a situation where, as Minister nominee at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), Hong must present direct solutions.
In key districts of the third new towns, core rail lines are slated to open after move-ins, so initial transport inconvenience is expected. Incheon Gyeyang is set for its first move-ins at year's end, but metropolitan transport measures such as road widening are still underway. In Namyangju Wangsuk, move-ins begin in Aug. 2028, but the target opening for the core line, the Gangdong–Hanam–Namyangju Line, is 2031. Hanam Gyosan is slated for move-ins in June 2029, but the Songpa–Hanam Line aims to open in 2032.
Another burden is that about 96% of the 27,200 units in the first batch of new public housing sites released in the Aug. 13 supply package will be located in Gyeonggi Province. A substantial share of the additional 73,000-plus units to be announced within the year is also likely to be allocated to Gyeonggi Province.
The process of Hong's Seoul apartment purchase is also an issue at the hearing. Last year, Hong and a spouse jointly purchased an apartment in Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, for 1.005 billion won and took out a mortgage loan of 367 million won. The spouse borrowed 170 million won from a mother. The combined 537 million won from bank loans and family borrowing fund is about 53% of the purchase price.
The People Power Party criticized this as an "all-in purchase," arguing it does not align with the government's loan-regulation stance. Hong countered, "We bought it for actual residence before this administration took office and have been actually living there since," adding, "This is different in nature from a purchase aimed at capital gains."
The basic dwellings initiative pursued by President Lee Jae-myung when serving as Gyeonggi governor is also subject to scrutiny. Designed to allow long-term residence by those without dwellings regardless of income or asset, basic dwellings did not lead to legislation and actual supply. The hearing is expected to address how Hong, who oversaw the policy as head of the Urban and Housing Bureau in Gyeonggi Province at the time, evaluates the project's limits. With the government set to supply a similar "universal public rental" model starting next year, questions are also expected on remedies to supplement the past policy.