"Those Responsible for the Moon Administration's Real Estate Policy Failures Must Be Disciplined"
Recently, a post from a head of household suffering due to the government's failure in real estate policy was uploaded on the Blue House National Petition Board. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture.
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A man in his 40s, head of a household, pointed out the sharp rise in jeonse prices caused by the government's failure in real estate policy and appealed for measures through the Blue House's national petition board.
On the 30th of last month, a post titled "Petition for the Disciplinary Action and Punishment of Those in Charge of Real Estate Policy" was uploaded on the Blue House national petition board. As of 4:30 PM on the 1st, the petition had received over 1,530 endorsements.
The petitioner, who introduced himself as a man in his 40s with an elementary school-aged daughter, began by saying, "I have worked hard until now. Really worked hard. I worked diligently and saved every penny of my salary, postponing buying a house until I had enough money."
He said, "Looking back, there was a time when I could have taken out a loan to buy an apartment. But I trusted this government," adding, "I believed the confident government statements like 'We are confident in our real estate policy' and 'You will regret buying now.'"
He continued, "My wife and I, who had hardly fought in nearly 20 years of marriage, now quarrel almost every day. A jeonse worth 300 million won is said to become 550 million won next year. No matter how hard we try and rack our brains, there is no way to come up with 250 million won," expressing frustration, "We fight almost daily over a problem with no answer, no solution, and no hope."
On the morning of the 1st, rental listings are posted at a real estate agency in Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The petitioner said, "We are so exhausted from fighting that we don't even know why we fight anymore. This is the price the people pay for trusting the country's policies and the words of the head of government," and questioned, "Is it such a big and unrealistic dream to keep my daughter at the school she attends without transferring her, living in a jeonse house, and saving every penny of my salary?"
He also said, "To protect the happiness of my family, the only thing I can do in about a year is commit a crime," and asked, "Without stealing, robbing, selling drugs, or committing fraud, what legal work is there to earn 250 million won in about a year?"
Furthermore, he pointed out, "I am not the only citizen driven into such a situation. Who is responsible for creating a situation where a citizen of a country and head of a household cannot protect their family without committing a crime, and where is that person now and what are they doing?"
In conclusion, the petitioner said, "This is not simply an administrative policy mistake. I hope the person responsible for the government's failed real estate policy, which has plunged the lives of the people into misery and made them dream of crime profits, turning citizens into potential lawbreakers, will be found and definitely disciplined and punished," adding, "That would be the just society I dream of."
Meanwhile, since the Moon Jae-in administration, real estate prices have risen sharply, making it even harder for ordinary people to own homes. According to KB Kookmin Bank's Liv Real Estate, the median price of apartments in Seoul surpassed 1 billion won for the first time in June, recording 1,014.17 million won. It rose by more than 10 million won again in July, reaching 1,025 million won.
In this regard, Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, apologized on the 28th of last month at the Government Seoul Office, delivering a message to the public for real estate market stabilization, saying, "I, along with related ministers, sincerely apologize for the unstable housing and jeonse prices that have reappeared mainly in the metropolitan area since April, after a difficult stabilization earlier this year."
He continued, "Stabilizing the real estate market is not something the government can achieve alone," emphasizing, "All participants in our real estate market, indeed all our citizens, must think together and cooperate together for this to be possible." Deputy Prime Minister Hong also said, "To prevent the so-called 'tragedy of the commons,' we all need to gather wisdom and cooperate for the community."
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