Hwang Hee Issues Public Apology Over 'Bus House' Proposal for Youth Housing

Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Hee, who sparked controversy by proposing so-called "bus houses" that would convert retired buses into housing for young adults, has issued a formal apology.

The apology came three days after he first made the proposal.

Writing on his Facebook page today (August 10), lawmaker Hwang said, "Contrary to our original intent, we have caused great concern and disappointment to the younger generation and the public," adding that he bows his head in a deep apology.

Hwang explained that the bus house proposal was conceived merely as an idea to supplement the time-consuming nature of government-led housing supplies and to temporarily alleviate the heavy temporary housing cost burdens faced by low-income youths.

Even so, he admitted, "Regardless of the reasons, I failed to deeply grasp the severity of the housing problems young people face in the real world."

He also expressed a heavy sense of responsibility, stating that he failed to carefully consider the feelings of the young people directly affected by housing issues, thereby causing hurt and disappointment.

Previously on the 7th, Hwang introduced a case from Amsterdam, Netherlands, where retired and used ships were converted into housing, and proposed utilizing converted retired buses as temporary living spaces for young people in South Korea under the name "bus houses."

He also unveiled a plan suggesting that if modifying a single bus costs about 50 million won, supplying 10,000 households would be possible with 500 billion won.

However, after the proposal was made public, criticisms spread online that the policy ignored the harsh realities of the youth housing crisis.

The People Power Party criticized the move, asking if this was a countermeasure for young people who are the future of the nation, and urged Hwang and his family to become the "first residents of a bus house."

The ruling party leadership also effectively distanced themselves from the idea, with Democratic Party Policy Committee Chairwoman Han Jeoung-ae publicly apologizing, stating that the bus house proposal unexpectedly hurt young people.

As the controversy persisted, Hwang deleted the related post and uploaded an explanation, but when the fallout did not subside, he posted another apology today to bow his head.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Ryu Ji-su | Design by Sumin Lee | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.