Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly Members from Jinju: "Withdraw LH Separation ... Headquarters and Functions Must Remain in Jinju if Enforced"

Members of the Jinju district of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly strongly objected to the government's plan to restructure the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) by separating it into two companies based on function, and they called for its withdrawal.

On September 7, People Power Party assembly members representing Jinju—Jaewook Jung (Jinju 1), Haeyoung Yang (Jinju 2), Hyoenshin Cho (Jinju 3), Gyehyun Yoo (Jinju 4), and Minseung Kang (Jinju 5)—along with proportional representative Seunghung Baek, who is originally from Jinju, held a press conference in the assembly's briefing room to announce a joint statement urging for LH’s continued presence at Jinju Innovation City.

They declared, "We strongly oppose the government's decision to split up LH, which stands as a symbol of balanced national development and the central pillar of Jinju Innovation City," and shouted, "Withdraw the separation policy."

Hyo Shin Cho (from the far left), Seunghung Baek, Minseung Kang, Jaewook Jung, Haeyoung Yang, and Gyehyun Yoo, members of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly, are holding a press conference urging the government to withdraw its policy to separate the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).
[Photo by Se-ryung Lee]

The government previously outlined a plan to separate Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH)—formed in 2009 through the merger of Korea Land Corporation and Korea National Housing Corporation—back into two entities after 17 years.

The proposal envisions one company, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation, handling land development and housing construction, and the other, the Housing and Urban Asset Corporation, focused on housing welfare and asset management functions.

The members warned, "If LH, a key regional public institution since it relocated its headquarters to Jinju Innovation City in 2015, is divided and its headquarters functions and core personnel move elsewhere, it will undermine both the status and core functions of Jinju Innovation City itself."

They also noted, "Such a move could hurt the very goal of the national balanced development policy, which has fostered regional growth centers by relocating public institutions. It also contradicts the government's stated intent to strengthen existing innovation cities through a second wave of public institution relocations, making this policy reversal hard to accept from a consistency standpoint."

They further voiced concern, stating, "The Korea National Institute of Land, Infrastructure and Safety’s education center was already relocated to Gimcheon, and if LH is also divided and its headquarters, key functions, and personnel are moved, Jinju Innovation City’s commercial district will be devastated."

The assembly members emphasized, "If the separation is enforced, the headquarters, core functions, and personnel of both separated companies must remain in Jinju Innovation City. We cannot accept any plan that relocates any institution or part of its functions."

Finally, they asserted, "We will never accept any decision that sacrifices Jinju. We’ll inform Jinju citizens and Gyeongnam residents about the impact of the LH separation policy and, together with local political leaders, public institution unions, and community members, mobilize every method possible, including joint statements and rallies, to prevent the separation and relocation of LH."

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