New Land Minister Pledges Focus on Housing Stability and Field-Driven Policies

Newly appointed Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hong Ji-sun stated in her inaugural remarks that she will "concentrate policy capabilities on housing stability, which is most closely connected to the lives of the people."

Diagnosing the current situation of the real estate market during her inauguration ceremony held at the Government Complex Sejong today (23rd), Minister Hong said, "Imbalances in housing supply and demand, instability in the lease market, and household debt burdens are all intertwined." She added, "We must now transition to field-oriented and pragmatic housing policies that can resolve these structural issues."

She emphasized, "Housing supply must not remain mere plans and numbers," and vowed to "accelerate 3rd-generation new towns and urban housing projects to ensure they lead to actual construction and occupancy, following through to the end."

To this end, Minister Hong stated that she will operate multi-layered consultative bodies with metropolitan and local governments to establish integrated reviews and fast-track approval processes, thereby settling a virtuous cycle model where central government institutional support and local autonomy reinforce each other.

Regarding instability in the lease market, she noted that the government will implement fundamental responses, such as expanding private long-term rentals, to cope with housing market fluctuations and jeonse (lump-sum lease) market instability.

Minister Hong stated, "We will densely support vulnerable housing groups and vitalize universal public housing so that more homeless people, including young adults and newlyweds, can safely reside in good-quality homes at reasonable rents in prime locations," adding, "We will build a solid housing ladder that connects to owning a home and stable residency."

Regarding balanced regional development, she said, "We will concentrate urban and architectural deregulation and necessary infrastructure support on major regional hub cities to create new growth hubs combining jobs and housing." She added, "Through corporate-led high-tech cities, we will create new regional growth models and speed up core tasks for balanced development, including the second relocation of public institutions, as well as Sejong and Saemangeum."

Minister Hong noted, "The most important thing to me is the field," adding, "It is not enough for the central government to make good systems. Policies are only completed when local governments and the private sector can actually execute them and the people can experience the changes."

She continued, "I hope to drastically reduce unnecessary paperwork. I will look at substance over form," and stated, "Rather than reports for the sake of reports or meetings for the sake of meetings, I will first ask what changes have occurred for the people."

She added, "Beyond ranks and jurisdictions, let us listen to each other's stories and further lower the barriers between offices and bureaus," and urged, "If it is work necessary for the people, I hope we become an organization that reaches out first and finds answers together before distinguishing between 'my work' and 'your work'."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.