[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Democratic Party lawmakers and civic groups have called for amendments to the Housing Lease Protection Act, including the introduction of a cap on monthly rent increases and the right to request contract renewal.
On the 3rd, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ju-min, along with fellow party members Woo Won-sik, Park Hong-geun, Jin Sung-jun, Lee Yong-seon, Jeon Yong-gi, and Jang Kyung-tae, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall urging amendments to the Housing Lease Protection Act to improve tenant housing stability. Also present were Lee Won-ho, senior researcher at the Korea Urban Research Institute; lawyer Lee Kang-hoon from the Housing Lease Protection Act Amendment Network; Choi Ji-hee, chairperson of the Mindalpaengi Union; and Choi Chang-woo, representative of the World Without Housing Worries.
In their press statement, they said, "The issue has been discussed multiple times since the 19th National Assembly’s bipartisan ‘Special Committee on Welfare for Low-Income Housing,’ and 12 related bills were introduced in the 20th National Assembly. The government also announced the Housing Welfare Roadmap in 2017, stating it would consider introducing the Housing Lease Protection Act starting in 2020, and an agreement was reached between the government and the ruling party last September. Sufficient social discussion and review have already taken place. There is no reason to delay any further."
They continued, "With the economic fallout from COVID-19 and the approaching autumn moving season, tenants who need to renew contracts or face increased monthly rent burdens are growing increasingly distressed. To prevent the COVID-19 socioeconomic crisis from triggering a chain of evictions and to strengthen tenant housing stability, it is urgent to amend the Housing Lease Protection Act to introduce the right to request contract renewal and a cap on monthly rent increases."
"As long as there is even one person in this world without a home, no one has the right to build a luxury house. If anyone does, they have the obligation to provide at least a minimum place to live for everyone."
This is a quote from the late Cardinal Kim Soo-hwan and was included in the declaration of the ‘June 3rd Homeless Day’ in 1992. Participants at the press conference stated, "According to the recently released ‘2019 Housing Survey,’ 42% of all households are homeless households without home ownership. Moreover, 60.9% of tenants have lived in their current residence for less than two years, indicating severe housing instability. The situation of tenants in the Republic of Korea is no different from nomads wandering just to survive."
They added, "In contrast, major advanced countries such as Germany, France, the United States, and Japan, where housing cost issues exist, generally operate on the principle of leases without fixed terms and have tenant protection systems through rent regulation at the national or metropolitan level. The reason these countries were able to immediately implement measures such as halting evictions and freezing rents as part of their COVID-19 socioeconomic crisis response was precisely because they had tenant protection systems based on social control over the private rental market."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
