Yoon: "The Master Plan for the First Phase New Towns Was Not Properly Explained... Policies Must Be Well Communicated to the Public"

Cabinet Members Instructed to "Judge from the Public's Perspective When Announcing Policies"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 22nd, President Yoon Seok-yeol instructed that policies be properly communicated to the public in relation to the controversy over the broken promise concerning the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's '1st Generation New Town Redevelopment Master Plan.'

President Yoon, during the Eulji Cabinet Meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building that morning, said, "The government announced housing policies, but there were parts where trust was not gained during the process of communicating to the public," according to a briefing by Kang In-sun, spokesperson for the Presidential Office.

Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the '8.16 Measures,' presenting a timetable to carry out redevelopment of the 1st generation new towns in the metropolitan area through research projects in the second half of this year and to establish a redevelopment master plan in 2024. Because of this, some residents of the 1st generation new towns such as Bundang, Ilsan, Pyeongchon, Sanbon, and Jungdong, as well as opposition parties, criticized the new government for breaking its presidential campaign promise to swiftly redevelop the 1st generation new towns.

President Yoon said, "'The 1st Generation New Town Master Plan' was expedited as much as possible, which would have normally taken about five years. Nevertheless, it was not properly explained to the public," and emphasized, "When announcing major national policies, please judge from the public's perspective, not ours (the government's). It is more important that the policy is well communicated to the public than when it is announced." He also reiterated the need for close cooperation among the ruling party, the Presidential Office, and government ministries.

Spokesperson Kang said, "When the government announces policies, please communicate them in a way that the public can easily understand what is changing and how. The intention is that people should quickly grasp 'how things will change when a certain policy is implemented.'"

President Yoon also instructed that small business owners be included as recipients of disaster relief funds. Spokesperson Kang added, "Until now, small business owners were not eligible for disaster relief funds, but since the damage was significant, this time they were instructed to be included as recipients and supported."

Regarding support for damage caused by heavy rains, President Yoon emphasized the importance of 'speed' and announced that, in addition to the 10 cities, counties, and districts nationwide where special disaster areas were declared that day, other regions will also be promptly surveyed for additional declarations.