Ruling Party: "Seoul Blocking Housing Supply... Ministry of Land Taking a Submissive Stance Toward City"

Confirmation Hearing for Minister Nominee Hong Jiseon

Ruling Party: "Seoul City Blocks Urban Complex Projects

Focus on Private Redevelopment Delays Housing Supply

Negotiation Alone Cannot Solve the Supply Crisis"

At the confirmation hearing for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Hong Jiseon held on September 16, the ruling party shifted responsibility for the current housing supply crisis to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, sparking a heated exchange with the opposition party. The ruling party argued that Seoul City is impeding public-sector-led housing supply initiatives and urged the nominee to secure the lead in housing supply negotiations.

Kim Namgeun, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out at the hearing that the focus of Seoul's administrative policies on private-sector-led redevelopment was a root cause of the city’s housing supply problems. Assemblyman Kim stated, "Mayor Oh Sehoon is only concentrating on his flagship political project, the private-sector-led 'Sinton Plan' redevelopment initiative, while neglecting public-led projects, resulting in a lack of diverse housing supply approaches."

Hong Jiseon, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is answering questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on September 16, 2026. Photo by Dongju Yoon

He further emphasized that Seoul is blocking the government’s key strategy, the Urban Public Complex Project, from moving forward. Seoul City has been postponing the preliminary planning council meetings for five project districts, so currently, these areas cannot proceed with contractor selection procedures.

Assemblyman Kim continued, "The government is attempting to push for the Urban Public Complex Project in areas with challenging development potential, such as semi-basement homes and shantytowns, but at present, Seoul City is not scheduling the necessary preliminary planning council meetings." He added, "According to what I have heard, the city is allegedly using these meetings as a bargaining chip — essentially, it intends to trade cooperation on the public-sector project with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in exchange for concessions regarding the private redevelopment business."

Assemblyman Bok Giwang, also of the Democratic Party of Korea, remarked, "By holding up the process, Seoul is preventing the preliminary planning council from functioning." He urged, "While maintaining principles and convictions, you must be bold and assertive in negotiations."

Some also criticized the idea that a moderate, dialogue-focused approach with Seoul City would not solve the housing supply crisis. Assemblyman Kim said, "Although the previous Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government tried to resolve the city’s housing shortage, I believe the Ministry took too passive a stance. When the central government needs cooperation from the city, it should not settle for a purely negotiating posture."

In response, nominee Hong Jiseon replied, "I see the relationship between local and central government not as hierarchical, but as that of partners. I will ensure sufficient communication with Seoul City to identify both the bottlenecks and the key obstacles."

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