Public Housing Promotion Task Force Upgraded to Bureau Chief-Level Headquarters
77 Staff Members Assigned; Temporary Operation Until 2028
Fair Construction Support Division to Crack Down on Illegal Subcontracting
Underground Safety Team Established to Prevent Ground Subsidence
Kim Yoonduk, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is reporting to President Lee Jae-myung on the 12th at the Government Sejong Convention Center in Sejong City. On the left is Kim Itak, First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 29th that it has completed an organizational restructuring to quickly supply housing where people want it and to ensure safety. Three new units have been established: the Housing Supply Promotion Headquarters, the Fair Construction Support Division, and the Underground Safety Team.
The Housing Supply Promotion Headquarters, which will serve as the control tower for housing supply, is an upgraded organization that elevates the former Public Housing Promotion Task Force from director-level to bureau chief-level. Under the Headquarters Chief (bureau chief-level), there will be the Housing Supply Policy Officer (with six divisions) and the Housing Maintenance Policy Officer (with three divisions), totaling 77 staff members. By bringing together previously scattered housing supply functions under one roof, the headquarters will comprehensively manage everything from new town and land development to urban housing supply and private reconstruction and redevelopment. This is a temporary organization to be operated until the end of 2028, reflecting the government’s commitment to faithfully implement the September 7 Measures, which focus on supplying 1.35 million homes in the Seoul metropolitan area.
President Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly emphasized in ministry briefings that public housing should be supplied in locations favored by the public, such as areas near subway stations. The ministry has decided to focus its policy capabilities on fulfilling the president’s directive and shifting the housing supply paradigm. The ministry explained, “The Public Housing Promotion Task Force, which had been exclusively responsible for housing supply, operated as a non-permanent organization, resulting in limitations in organizational stability and performance management. In addition, supply functions such as reconstruction and old city maintenance were dispersed.” The ministry added, “Through this restructuring, we have strengthened the accountability and consistency of housing supply policy.”
Comparison of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Housing Supply Organizational Restructuring Before and After. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
In order to eradicate illegal activities at construction sites that lead to substandard construction, the Fair Construction Support Division has also been newly established. This division is an expanded and reorganized version of the previously temporary Construction Site Compliance Monitoring Team and will oversee crackdowns on illegal subcontracting and related policy responses. The ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, has previously detected 262 cases of illegal subcontracting through joint inspections. Going forward, the ministry will enhance its AI-based monitoring system and increase whistleblower rewards, thereby strengthening a ministry-centered, continuous inspection system.
The Underground Safety Team has also been newly established to enhance safety beneath the ground, such as preventing ground subsidence. This team will be responsible for institutional improvements, including expanding the ministry’s authority to conduct investigations in areas at risk of ground subsidence and revising standard manuals for accident response.
The Housing Supply Promotion Headquarters and the Fair Construction Support Division will begin operations on the 30th, while the Underground Safety Team will start work on January 2 of next year. In addition, the number of special judicial police officers to investigate illegal real estate transactions and personnel for on-site illegal subcontracting crackdowns at local land management offices have also been increased.
Moon Seongyo, Director General for Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “The ministry bears a heavy responsibility as it is directly related to securing the basic rights of the people, such as housing and safety. With the newly established organizations at the center, we are determined to do our utmost in our assigned duties so that we can deliver clear results to the public in the areas entrusted to us.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
