[Summary] On Byun Chang-heum's Nomination as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport... Opposition: "Kim Hyun-mi is an Accomplice, Byun Chang-heum is the Main Culprit"

Lee Hye-hoon "Byeon Chang-heum, Theorist of Moon Administration's Real Estate Policy"
In 2018 Interview, Nominee Byeon Said "Moon Administration Led Housing Policy Well During Difficult Times"

On October 8th, at the National Assembly's audit of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), Byun Chang-heum, President of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, is taking an oath. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] The nomination of Byeon Chang-heum, President of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), as the new Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has drawn criticism from opposition parties. They argue that since Byeon's views on real estate policy are not significantly different from those of the Moon Jae-in administration, the likelihood of an actual policy shift is slim.

On the 4th, Cheong Wa Dae's Senior Secretary for Public Communication Jeong Man-ho announced that President Moon Jae-in had nominated Byeon as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Jeon Hae-cheol, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, as Minister of the Interior and Safety, Kwon Deok-cheol, President of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, as Minister of Health and Welfare, and Jeong Young-ae, Director of the Korea Women's Foundation, as Minister of Gender Equality and Family.

However, the opposition criticized this cabinet reshuffle as a "cabinet aimed only at changing the political situation." Bae Jun-young, a member of the People Power Party, stated in a commentary that "there is no will to fix the nearly four years of the Moon Jae-in administration's disastrous governance, no matter how hard you look," and called it "just a political maneuver."

He added, "This is a stubborn reshuffle that still hasn't come to its senses, a 'foolish reshuffle' that ignores calls for government reform," criticizing that "Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, and Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Hong Nam-ki were excluded from this reshuffle, and the replacement of Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi was too late."

Apartments in Gangbuk, Seoul, viewed from Namsan on the 3rd. / Photo by Yonhap News

The nomination of Byeon as the new Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was also interpreted as a signal that the Moon Jae-in administration has no intention of changing its real estate policy.

Lee Hye-hoon, a former member of the Future United Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) who declared her candidacy for the upcoming Seoul mayoral by-election, wrote on her Facebook page that "Kim Hyun-mi is an accomplice, Byeon Chang-heum is the main culprit," and that "this signals no change in the Moon administration's real estate policy."

She continued, "Upon hearing the intelligence that the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was included in the reshuffle list, I had a faint hope that the Moon administration's policy direction, which caused the worst surge in housing and rental prices since the founding of Korea, might change," but added, "However, upon opening the lid, it is only disappointing to realize that those who had hope were mistaken."

She further argued, "Minister Kim was not a real estate expert and just followed orders, but Byeon Chang-heum is the theorist and backer of the Moon administration's real estate policy," and "Byeon Chang-heum is even worse than Minister Kim."

Lee said, "The root of the disappointment is the declaration that the real estate policy will not change," and criticized, "They seem to be trying to deny any mistakes by appointing a new minister disguised as an expert without correcting the errors."

Byun Chang-hoom, President of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), is attending the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit of Korea Land and Housing Corporation held on October 8. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Byeon is regarded as having a high understanding of housing policy and as an expert in housing supply within the Moon Jae-in administration. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in economics and earned a master's degree in urban planning and a doctorate in public administration from the same university.

He also served as a senior researcher at Seoul Metropolitan Development Corporation, an associate researcher at Seoul Institute, and was the director of the Korea Urban Research Institute, a non-profit private research organization, where he studied policies related to housing welfare and urban poverty.

In 2014, he served as president of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation and gained administrative experience by participating as a member of the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development and the Special Committee on Urban Regeneration.

Byeon has particularly defended the Moon administration's real estate policies, emphasizing measures to eradicate speculation and protect tenants.

In a December 2018 interview with a media outlet, he stated, "To protect tenants, they must be allowed to live stably for at least six years." He also said, "The previous administration deregulated everything over the past nine years, so the Moon administration has navigated real estate policy well during difficult times."

In August, during a National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit, he said that compared to the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, the Moon administration implemented better real estate policies. At that time, he said, "Compared to the housing policies of the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, this government is the best. Although the situations are different, the previous two administrations had relatively easier times to implement policies."