Won Hee-ryong: "The Key to Successful Real Estate Policy is Communication... I Will Become the Minister of Communication Records"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong appeared as a candidate at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 2nd and took the witness oath. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Won Hee-ryong, appointed as the first Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, stated on the 14th, "The prerequisite for policy success is communication," adding, "I will always keep communication with the public in mind while carrying out my duties and listen attentively to the voices of the people and the field with a humble attitude."

Minister Won made these remarks through an appointment message distributed to reporters covering the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the same day, saying, "I will increase opportunities for communication to the maximum and become a minister who sets a 'communication record.'

He also announced, "The inauguration ceremony will be held via YouTube as a means of communication with the public and the media," and "I plan to personally respond to questions that the public may have."

Although the parliamentary confirmation report on Minister Won was not adopted, President Yoon approved his appointment on the 13th. According to the Confirmation Hearing Act, if the National Assembly misses the deadline for adopting the report, the president can request resubmission within ten days, and if the report is still not submitted by the deadline, the president can appoint the minister as is.

The 'Won Hee-ryong-led Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport' has received a special mission of 'housing stability' from President Yoon.

Minister Won is expected to focus first on easing various regulations and tax burdens promised by President Yoon, as well as housing supply, to stabilize housing prices. He diagnoses that the overlapping regulations and tax burdens imposed by the previous administration were the main culprits that not only failed to stabilize housing prices but rather caused them to soar.

At the parliamentary confirmation hearing on the 2nd, he said, "The Moon Jae-in administration's real estate policy fought against the market and criminalized the very ordinary desires of the people and the middle class, resulting in the worst failure." This means he will not repeat the previous administration's mistake of overusing regulations as a card to condemn desires. Instead, he has repeatedly reaffirmed a policy of active deregulation.

It is expected that regulations on redevelopment and reconstruction projects, which have hindered urban supply, will be eased, and market functions will be restored through the revitalization of private rentals. Systems related to redevelopment projects such as the price ceiling on sale, reconstruction charges, and safety inspections will also be adjusted to promote urban supply. Significant revisions to the three lease laws (right to request contract renewal, rent ceiling system, and rent reporting system) are anticipated. Minister Won has stated, "I believe fundamental improvements close to abolition are necessary."

A roadmap for supplying 2.5 million housing units, a pledge of President Yoon, is also expected to be concretized soon. In his confirmation hearing response materials, Minister Won said, "I will present a predictable and reliable housing supply roadmap as soon as possible." There is also a goal to establish a foundation to supply more than 100,000 quality housing units in the metropolitan area adjacent to Seoul, such as Bundang, Ilsan, and Pyeongchon in Gyeonggi Province, by enacting a 'First New Town Special Act.'