"Prevent Delays in Housing Permits"... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Warns Permit Officers

Participation of Permit Officers from 25 Seoul Districts
Sharing Cases of Permit Delays and Discussing System Improvements

Apartment complexes in the Gangbuk area of Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The government is bringing together the permit officers from 25 autonomous districts within Seoul to improve housing permit performance.

On the afternoon of the 14th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced that it will hold the 'Basic Local Government Permit Council' at Seoul City Hall. MOLIT will caution each district to prevent delays in permit processing. It will also explain the delay cases shared at the local government permit council held on the 24th of last month. The current status of permit processing by local governments will be reviewed. Typical delay cases include excessive public contributions, strengthened building standards requirements, unfounded building floor or household counts, and price restrictions.

Kim Gyu-cheol, Director of the Housing and Land Office at MOLIT, said, "If permits are delayed even though basic local governments process permits according to regulations, we will improve the system, and if delays are caused by excessive demands from permit officers, we will caution them. If permits are processed according to regulations and officers do not make excessive demands, there should be almost no delays."

Amid the continued rise in Seoul housing prices and a decrease in permit performance, the government has taken steps to resolve permit delays. According to real estate information company Real Estate R114, Seoul apartment prices, which started rising in March, have increased to 96% of the previous peak as of the 9th. According to MOLIT, the number of apartment permits in Seoul in the first half of this year was 11,651 units, a 22.8% decrease compared to 15,094 units in the first half of last year. Permits are a leading indicator of housing supply; for apartments, it takes 1-2 years from permit to groundbreaking and 2-3 years from groundbreaking to completion. Apartment occupancy is possible after completion approval.

On this day, MOLIT will also explain the main contents of the 'Housing Supply Expansion Plan for National Residential Stability' announced on the 8th to expedite redevelopment projects within Seoul. In particular, it plans to introduce the draft 'Reconstruction and Redevelopment Promotion Act,' which includes simultaneous processing of the basic plan, redevelopment plan, project implementation plan, and management disposition plan.

Kim Young-ah, Director of the Housing Construction Supply Division at MOLIT, said, "To expand housing supply in the private sector, we urge each district to process permits quickly. If there are system improvement matters, we will promptly consult with related ministries."

Meanwhile, MOLIT held a council on the 24th of last month with 17 metropolitan cities and provinces to promote housing construction project permits. Director Kim said, "The previous council mainly targeted metropolitan governments, so we could not hear directly from the actual permit officers. Through this council, we will meet directly with permit practitioners to hear system improvement matters and share delay cases to prevent permit postponements."