Prime Minister Han: "Difficulties in Securing Living Spaces Remain... I Feel Responsible as Prime Minister"

National Debate on Real Estate Policy

Prime Minister Han Sung-sook stated on July 27, "There are still many people who struggle to secure a living space, which is a basic requirement for a stable life," adding, "As the Prime Minister overseeing the administration, I feel a great sense of responsibility and gravity in addressing the difficulties related to real estate."

Prime Minister Han Sung-sook is attending and speaking at the National Real Estate Policy Grand Debate held at the International Conference Hall of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul on July 27, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

During her opening remarks at the National Real Estate Policy Grand Debate held at the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul that day, Prime Minister Han said, "According to the 2025 National Balance Sheet, real estate accounts for 71.9% of households' net assets. The high level of public interest is only natural," emphasizing the significance of the issue.

This debate was held as a follow-up, presided over by the Prime Minister, because the prior session led by President Lee Jaemyung on July 23 did not allow enough time to fully gather opinions.

Prime Minister Han reiterated the importance of the issue, saying, "The real estate issue directly concerns all 50 million citizens, and in this sense, everyone is an expert. It is indeed a crucial matter." She further noted, "However, each individual's circumstances are different—whether they are young people, newlyweds, people without homes, owners of multiple homes, rental business operators, or monthly and yearly rent tenants. Their concerns vary, and both support and opposition proposals differ. It is a reality that finding consensus is difficult because of the complex and conflicting interests, more so than in any other field."

She continued, "Nevertheless, we must address the real estate issue in the future. It is a challenging task to listen to the varied concerns of each citizen regarding real estate and find common ground."

She went on to say, "We will listen to the vivid voices about real estate policy from the participants in this debate, and will discuss with the various ministers and government officials present how to shape the policy in a desirable direction. More than 7,100 opinions have also been posted on the 'realestatedebate.kr' website. We will not overlook these views but will instead discuss how to reflect them in policy."

Meanwhile, attendees included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-cheol, Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eogwon, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoon-deok, Policy Chief Lim Kigeun, as well as academic experts such as Professor Kwon Daejung of Sogang University, Lee Dongjoo, Head of the Housing Association, Kim Hyosun, Senior Committee Member for Real Estate at NongHyup, Jeon Sungje, Center Director at Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, and Moon Yoonsang, Research Fellow at KDI. In addition, private sector experts such as Kim Inman, CEO of Korea Real Estate Economic Research Institute; Song Seunghyun, CEO of Urban and Economy; Jung Jiyeong, CEO of Buyang Certified Realtors; and 45 members of the general public, including university students, newlyweds, and company employees, took part in the debate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.