Han Seung-soo, the Prime Minister of South Korea, emphasized on October 27 that accelerating the pace of private sector projects, which account for 80% of housing supply in the metropolitan area, is crucial to achieving planned supply targets. He instructed officials to devise solutions to address delays in private redevelopment projects.
During the fourth inter-agency meeting on rapid housing supply held at the Government Seoul Complex, Han urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to develop effective measures based on an analysis of the current status and causes of delays in private redevelopment projects.
Han noted that since announcing rapid housing supply measures and comprehensive financial plans on August 13, a system for monitoring supply across agencies has been established, and relevant regulations have been refined. He added that housing supply performance and occupancy information are being disclosed through regular briefings.
He acknowledged recent improvements, stating, "The number of housing permits and construction starts in Seoul has increased by over 40% compared to the same period last year."
However, he pointed out that citizens are more concerned about the progress of projects in their specific areas and when they can expect to move in, rather than just overall statistics or announcements.
With only two months left in the year, Han urged all ministries to closely monitor the progress of their respective projects to ensure that the year-end housing supply goals are met. He stressed the importance of ensuring that planned housing units lead to actual construction.
Han also mentioned his visit to the private redevelopment site in Suwon's Yeongtong District on October 13, where he listened to the concerns of the association and construction company representatives. He directed the Ministry of Land to formulate measures to expedite private redevelopment projects based on the issues raised on-site.
He recalled President Lee Jae-myung's recent emphasis on the importance of housing stability for the government's success, urging officials not to be bound by traditional practices and procedures but to launch an all-out effort in housing supply. Han instructed relevant departments to swiftly establish follow-up plans in accordance with the President's directives regarding the third new towns.
He also reviewed transportation plans for the third new towns, which are set to begin occupancy in December, starting with Incheon Gyeyang. Han noted that in past new towns, delays in establishing transportation networks caused significant inconvenience for residents. He requested that detailed transportation plans be prepared to avoid repeating such issues in the third new towns.
Han emphasized the need to expedite the construction of railways and transportation networks, urging the principle of "transport first, move in later" to be effectively implemented.
He also directed the swift establishment of a 'housing supply digital dashboard' that allows citizens to check the progress of housing projects and expected occupancy dates in their regions. Han requested that relevant agencies actively cooperate to secure necessary budgets and facilitate information sharing among institutions.
He concluded by stating, "We will continue to thoroughly manage supply performance against plans, swiftly resolve on-site issues, and transparently disclose processes and outcomes to the public, ensuring that planned housing units lead to actual occupancy so that citizens can feel the benefits of supply achievements."
The inter-agency meeting on rapid housing supply was established to monitor the implementation of the rapid housing supply measures and comprehensive financial plans announced by the government on August 13, and to coordinate tasks requiring inter-departmental cooperation. At that time, the government announced plans to provide over 230,000 additional housing units in the metropolitan area and held the first monitoring meeting the following day.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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