The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) have established a new joint task force (TF) to accelerate the pace of housing supply in Seoul and the greater metropolitan area.
On November 20, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoonduk and LH Acting President Lee Sangwook held a plaque unveiling ceremony for the Housing Supply Task Force and the LH Special Housing Supply Promotion Headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. In the housing supply expansion plan announced in September, the government previously stated its intention to supply 1.35 million housing units in the metropolitan area alone over the next five years.
The joint task force was formed to enhance on-site responsiveness by having working-level staff from both organizations collaborate on housing supply matters. The Ministry explained, "From site discovery to project completion, we plan to manage the process more closely on the ground, supply housing in preferred urban locations desired by the public, shorten the timeline, and meet the high demand from genuine homebuyers."
Yoonduk Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (seventh from the left), and Sangwook Lee, Acting President of LH (eighth), held a plaque ceremony for the launch of the joint housing supply task force at the HJ Heavy Industries headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul on the 20th. Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
The Ministry is currently working with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and other agencies to strengthen the currently fragmented supply functions within the ministry, such as the Public Housing Promotion Team. LH has decided that the acting president will serve as the head of the Housing Supply Headquarters. This headquarters will consist of five newly established teams, including overall supply management, acquisition supply, public land, urban area supply, and public housing. In addition, special headquarters for redevelopment projects, previously scattered across regional headquarters such as the Seoul Regional Headquarters, have also been newly established.
The TF office will also house a Rapid Permitting Support Center. This organization was created in response to concerns that local governments' differing or ambiguous interpretations of regulations have delayed project approvals and slowed progress. The center will also facilitate direct coordination of opinions between agencies.
After the plaque unveiling ceremony, Minister Kim stated, "This organizational restructuring aims to dramatically improve the speed of housing supply," and requested, "I ask LH to mobilize every possible means so that all executives, including the head of the headquarters, can deliver tangible results in housing supply."
Kim Yoonduk, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is speaking at a meeting following the launch ceremony of the joint task force for housing supply on the 20th. Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
When asked whether housing supply in Seoul was being delayed due to unresolved differences with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Minister Kim responded, "We have proposed 18 issues to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and over 90% of them are under positive review." He added, "We will actively cooperate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ensure there are no setbacks in housing supply." He did not disclose the specific issues.
Regarding specific supply plans, he stated that the goal is to announce them before the end of this year. Minister Kim said, "We are reviewing the inclusion of areas where projects promoted under the previous Moon Jae-in administration did not proceed," and emphasized, "In the past, we lost market trust by making announcements without sufficient preparation, so this time we will present clear and concrete details."
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