No Residential Welfare Center in Daejeon
for Housing-Vulnerable Residents,
Park Yonggap Calls for Facility Establishment
It has been revealed that while residential welfare centers have been established in various regions to improve the housing conditions of residents living in jjokbangchon (shantytowns), there is no such center in Daejeon.
In response, Park Yonggap, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Jung-gu, Daejeon), attended the 'Public Rental Vacancy Improvement Mini Policy Task Force' meeting held at the Seoul Government Complex on the afternoon of the 24th. There, he called on Yoon Changryeol, Chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Lee Sangkyung, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to establish a residential welfare center in Daejeon, among other requests.
Park Yonggap stated, "Although the Office for Government Policy Coordination under the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport have announced plans to provide information on public rental housing vacancies to residential welfare centers established in each region to improve the housing conditions of jjokbangchon residents, there is not a single residential welfare center in metropolitan local governments such as Daejeon, Ulsan, Gangwon, and Gyeongnam." He insisted, "The first step should be to mandate the establishment of residential welfare centers in all cities and provinces, including Daejeon."
Park Yonggap also said, "A significant number of vulnerable people living in permanent rental housing provided by Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) are enduring the hot summer without air conditioning," and argued, "The Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport should expand state funding so that the remodeling of old permanent rental housing and the installation of air conditioners can be completed as soon as possible."
Regarding the public development project in Daejeon jjokbangchon, Park Yonggap asserted, "Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) should swiftly construct public rental housing for jjokbangchon residents on land owned by Korea Railroad Corporation and move them in, and then accelerate the project through public-led development."
He added, "It is important that today's discussion does not end as a one-time event, but is reflected in government policy," and emphasized, "The National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee will do its utmost to ensure that housing welfare policies for the housing-vulnerable, including those living in jjokbangchon, are reflected in government policy and that the public development project in jjokbangchon is carried out promptly."
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