"Better if public rental housing is converted from hotels" Government's Jeonse policy criticized
On the 24th, a post urging high-ranking public officials and members of the National Assembly to be required to reside in public rental housing was uploaded to the Blue House National Petition Board. / Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] As the government announced measures to convert vacant commercial buildings and hotels into public rental housing, public opposition to these measures has grown. Amid this, a petition was posted on the Blue House's national petition board calling for "high-ranking public officials to live in public rental housing first."
On the 24th, a petition titled "Repeal of the Three Lease Laws and Legislation for Mandatory Residence of High-Ranking Public Officials in Public Rental Housing" was posted on the national petition board.
In the petition, the petitioner stated, "The current housing crisis is due to the Three Lease Laws," adding, "You may not want to admit it, but this is the reality. It is time to acknowledge the mistake and repeal the Three Lease Laws."
Furthermore, the petitioner urged, "Please enact a law requiring high-ranking public officials, including members of the National Assembly and officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as well as economic-related departments, to mandatorily reside in public rental housing during their terms," and added, "It would be even better if the public rental housing were converted from hotels." As of 3:40 PM on the same day, the petition had garnered over 4,300 endorsements.
Earlier, the government announced on the 19th, as part of the "Support Plan for Housing Stability for Low-Income and Middle-Class Citizens," that it plans to supply 114,100 public rental housing units over two years until 2022.
The plan to secure rental housing includes pre-acquisition agreements with private construction companies for newly built multi-family and officetel buildings. Notably, it also includes converting vacant commercial spaces, offices, and hotels, which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, into rental housing.
On the afternoon of the 19th, when the government announced the 'Support Measures for Housing Stability of Low-Income and Middle-Class Citizens,' the area around an apartment complex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
However, opposition parties criticized the plan as unrealistic. Kim Hye-ryeong, spokesperson for the People Power Party, commented at the time, "Remodeling non-residential buildings such as commercial spaces, factories, and offices into rental housing, and converting hotel rooms into residential units is simply absurd," adding, "They showed optimism and confidence, but this is the best they could come up with?"
Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the same party, wrote on his Facebook, "Turning hotels into jeonse (long-term lease) housing is ridiculous," and pointed out, "What people want is a comfortable living space where they can raise their children and rest peacefully, not a single-room hotel with no ventilation."
Statements by government and ruling party lawmakers also faced criticism. Earlier, on the 19th, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi claimed at a briefing on jeonse measures held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, "The supply of jeonse units through hotel remodeling has been well received in Europe and other places."
Additionally, Jin Sun-mi, head of the Future Housing Promotion Team of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a press conference following a field discussion at the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) Seoul Headquarters on the 20th, "If you give up the illusion of apartments, a much wider variety of housing types become possible," and added, "(Rental housing) is no different from the apartment I currently live in," which sparked criticism from some quarters.
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