[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Hong Nam-ki said on the 10th that regarding whether to lift the Greenbelt as part of the housing supply measures, "At present, we (the government) are not specifically considering it."
Deputy Prime Minister Hong appeared on YTN News that day and stated, "We reviewed a list of various alternatives that the government will consider in the future, but currently, lifting the Greenbelt is not on the list due to its different level of importance."
He added, "We intend to primarily focus on high-density development in urban areas, increasing floor area ratios, and utilizing various vacancies within the city."
He continued, "We will first focus on the list the government wants to examine, and then look into the second phase issues later. I think there will be an opportunity to review that issue (lifting the Greenbelt) later."
Regarding the criticism that the recent announcement of increased capital gains tax has created an atmosphere where people prefer to gift houses to their children and pay gift tax instead, he said, "As the capital gains tax burden increases, such side effects may appear where people prefer to gift rather than sell."
He added, "The government also checked such aspects while reviewing the measures this time, and if there are abnormal signs of avoidance through gifting, I think measures regarding gifting will be necessary."
He then stated, "The government is also conducting a review on this, and once the review is completed, we will be able to present related measures complementarily."
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