Mayor Choi Hyundok Urges Prime Minister to Guarantee Long-Term Residency at W Stay Byeollae

Call for Legal Amendments Ahead of 2028 Mandatory Lease Expiration
Request for Expanded Introduction in Wangsuk and Wangsuk 2 New Towns
Inclusion of New GTX Lines and Subway Extension Plans Proposed
Advocacy for Alleviating the Burden on Local Finances

Choi Hyundok, Mayor of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, officially submitted requests to the government for the resolution of key local issues, including housing stability and the expansion of metropolitan transportation networks, during a meeting with Prime Minister Sunsook Han.

Mayor Hyunduk Choi handed over a proposal for regulatory improvement after meeting with a Prime Minister who visited 'W Stay Byeollae,' a cooperative public-supported private rental housing complex in Byeollae-dong, Namyangju-si, on the 6th. Provided by Namyangju City

On the 6th, Mayor Choi met with Prime Minister Han at "W Stay Byeollae," a cooperative-type publicly supported private rental housing complex in Byeollae-dong, Namyangju. During their meeting, he requested revisions to the Special Act on Private Rental Housing and the expanded introduction of cooperative housing models in the Wangsuk New Town. This visit was organized to review the current status of the resident community operation and to discuss strategies for the development of sustainable housing models.

Attendees included Mayor Choi, Prime Minister Han, Lee Tak Kim, First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seonghoon Lee, President of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), Inho Choi, President of Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG), and Dongsu Yang, CEO of Theham.

W Stay Byeollae is the first cooperative-type publicly supported private rental housing complex in Korea, consisting of 491 units. Although the mandatory rental period ends in June 2028 after eight years, the current system does not provide a management framework that would enable operations to be continued long-term by a social cooperative after the rental period expires.

Mayor Choi called for an amendment to the Special Act on Private Rental Housing to convert the existing rental homes into "Solidarity-Based Publicly Supported Shared Housing," so that residents can remain stably for more than 20 years. He also proposed the expanded introduction of cooperative housing models in newly planned public housing zones such as Wangsuk and Wangsuk 2.

The participants received a briefing on the project status at the neighborhood bookstore within the complex and discussed directions for the advancement of residential welfare and the social solidarity economy. They went on to tour community facilities including the local cafe, community gym, lawn plaza, and neighborhood creative studio.

Mayor Choi also requested the expansion of railway lines to improve the transportation environment in the northeastern part of the Seoul metropolitan area. Specifically, he called for the inclusion of new GTX-D, E, F, and G lines in the "5th National Rail Network Construction Plan" and for the extension of Subway Lines 3, 6, and 8 (Byeollae Line) to Namyangju to be reflected in the "5th Metropolitan Area Transportation Implementation Plan."

In the areas of local finance and welfare, Mayor Choi advocated for the establishment of a principle giving priority to ordinary grants tax following the creation of a government future response fund. He also requested that the long-term care home and facility benefits for senior citizens eligible for medical aid be managed as a national responsibility. Additionally, he called for labor cost funding for public service workers to be returned as central government subsidies to ease the burden on local finances.

He also asked for a deferment of farmland disposal orders in areas designated for development, such as public housing sites, and for improvements to regulations under the Enforcement Decree of the Special Measures Act on Designation and Management of Development Restriction Zones to enhance corporate location conditions.

Mayor Choi Hyunduk is visiting the Neighborhood Care Center with Prime Minister Han Seongsook on the 6th. Photo provided by Namyangju City

Mayor Choi stated, "W Stay Byeollae is a representative model of housing innovation that has fostered a culture of care and community led by its residents. Legal amendments are needed to ensure that residents can continue to live stably even after the mandatory rental period ends, and these housing models should be introduced more broadly in new public housing districts."

He added, "We will continue to closely consult with the government to ensure that Namyangju's core issues, including the expansion of metropolitan transportation networks, alleviating the burden on local government finances, and regulatory improvements related to development restriction zones, are reflected in national policies."

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