President Lee: "Launch a housing supply blitz... Actual construction starts and move-ins matter" (Comprehensive)

President Lee chairs Cabinet meeting
"Housing permits have fallen sharply since 2020"
Orders maximum cuts to permitting and construction timelines
Ahead of Police Day, says "Investigative fairness and accountability must be strengthened"
Tells SCIA chief Kim Jiyong to "investigate without favoring either side or leaving any group beyond scrutiny"
In closed-door meeting, says "We must reflect on whether the public's aspirations for social justice have been sufficiently fulfilled"

On the 20th, President Lee Jae-myung ordered a “housing supply blitz” to shorten as much as possible the time required for housing permits and groundbreaking, in a bid to stabilize the real estate market. He stressed that the government must deliver tangible results in the form of actual construction starts and move-ins, rather than stopping at announcing housing supply plans, saying, “The success or failure of government policy depends on whether people can feel that their housing situation is more secure.” With Police Day just one day away, he also called for preventing violent crime and strengthening police investigative capabilities, and urged the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) to prove its worth through investigations without exception.

President Lee Jaemyung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on Oct. 20, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

"Actual construction starts and move-ins matter more than pledges to build a certain number of homes"

In his opening remarks at the 45th Cabinet meeting, which he chaired at Cheong Wa Dae that day, President Lee said, “Housing stability is a key foundation for substantively improving people’s lives,” stressing the need to consistently pursue policies to expand housing supply and manage the market.

President Lee reiterated that the current instability in the real estate market was not a problem that had emerged in a short period. He called on the government to move away from past policies that focused on presenting supply figures and instead concentrate its administrative capacity on bringing forward the date when homes are actually supplied to the market.

“What matters is not simply declaring or announcing how many homes we will build, but actually starting construction and welcoming residents,” President Lee said. “I hope you will launch a housing supply blitz by not being bound by established practices and procedures, and by shortening as much as possible the time needed for everything from preparing housing sites to securing various permits and starting construction.”

He also indirectly placed responsibility for the current real estate market instability on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. “Housing permits fell sharply over the more than three years since 2020,” President Lee said, adding that “supply uncertainty has persisted structurally as the supply of new sites in new towns has also been delayed.”

On August 13, the government announced measures to accelerate housing supply, unveiling plans to add more than 230,000 homes in the Seoul metropolitan area by 2030. The government also said at the time that it would cut the average time from announcing a public housing site to breaking ground from 68 months to as little as 37 months, and provide tax, financial and regulatory incentives for projects that begin construction early.

President Lee also referred to the scheduled move-in at Incheon Gyeyang New Town in December. “Move-ins will begin in Incheon Gyeyang in December, the first of the third-generation new towns,” he said, urging the government to “hurry the housing supply in other new towns as well.” About 1,285 homes in Incheon Gyeyang, including public-sale housing and units in the Hope Town program for newlyweds, are set to welcome their first residents at the end of the year.

He also called for expanding the supply of public housing for young people and the middle class. “We should pay particular attention to quickly supplying high-quality public rental housing for young people and the middle class through active fiscal management,” President Lee said.

Ahead of Police Day, Lee says, "The more authority the police have, the more important public trust becomes"

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on Oct. 20, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also emphasized the government’s duty to protect people’s lives and safety, alongside ensuring housing stability. Ahead of the 81st anniversary of Police Day on Oct. 21, he called for sweeping reform of the police, whose role has expanded following changes to the criminal justice system.

“The police are currently facing significant changes and challenges,” President Lee said. “With the reform of the criminal justice system—the first in more than 70 years—to completely separate investigation from prosecution, the police have greater responsibilities than ever before.” He added, “No matter how much authority they have, without public trust it is nothing more than a house built on sand. I hope every member of the police will remember that all public authority derives from the people’s trust.”

On public safety, he called for a comprehensive overhaul of the existing response system. Referring to a recent series of crimes involving personal relationships and indiscriminate knife attacks, he said, “We must devise extraordinary measures to ensure that threats to people’s lives and safety from these antisocial violent crimes are not repeated.”

He also ordered a firm response, in accordance with a zero-tolerance principle, to crimes that harm people’s livelihoods, including hacking, illegal private lending, local corruption, voice phishing and drug offenses. “Public trust stems from concrete action and results on the ground in people’s daily lives,” President Lee said. “The police must transform themselves into a truly public-serving force that is the first to reach out when people are in crisis and the one they can trust and rely on most when they have suffered an unjust injury.”

Lee tells SCIA chief Kim Jiyong: "Investigate without favoring either side... Prove the agency's reason for being"

Kim Jiyong, chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, delivers opening remarks at a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House on Oct. 20. Kim Jongcheol, acting chief of the National Police Agency, is on the right. Oct. 20, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also spoke directly to Kim Jiyong, chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA), who attended a Cabinet meeting for the first time that day. After presenting Kim with his appointment letter the previous day, Lee reiterated at the official meeting the principles and role the new investigative agency must uphold.

“The reform of the prosecution system has now been institutionally completed, with investigation and prosecution fully separated and the Prosecution Office and the SCIA placed under different ministries,” President Lee said. “Now that the SCIA is making a fresh start as an independent agency investigating serious crimes, it needs a new sense of resolve and commitment.”

He added, “As a newly established agency, there will be many areas where it falls short,” but urged it to “resolve the public’s concerns and anxiety about prosecution reform, and swiftly and rigorously carry out the critically important work of maintaining social order fairly.”

He particularly reiterated the importance of political neutrality and fairness in investigations. “For serious crimes that destroy people’s lives and disrupt social order, including white-collar crimes, power-related corruption and securities and financial crimes, you must mobilize all your investigative capabilities and deal with them severely, without taking sides or leaving any group beyond scrutiny,” President Lee said. He added, “I hope you will prove to the public the SCIA’s reason for being and its necessity.” Kim said, “I will do my utmost to establish the SCIA successfully, complete prosecution reform and protect the rights and interests of the people.”

Mourns firefighter who died in the line of duty... "全面 review of key public safety functions"

In his opening remarks that day, President Lee also paid tribute to Senior Firefighter Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty at a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 16th. The funeral for Kim, held the previous day as a Gyeonggi Provincial Government funeral, was attended after he lost his life while entering the fire scene as part of the first response team. “The people of our country will remember forever Senior Firefighter Kim, who devoted his life to protecting their lives and safety,” President Lee said. “The state will now be a family to the bereaved and a steadfast source of support.” He also wished the injured firefighters a speedy recovery.

President Lee also ordered a sweeping overhaul of key functions directly related to public safety, including firefighting, policing, disaster prevention and healthcare, and a comprehensive review of relevant systems to ensure the safety of frontline personnel as well. He called for a proactive approach not only to expanding budgets and staffing, but also to making effective improvements to the system.

He additionally ordered extensive safety inspections of major facilities, including crowded venues and bridges, to prevent large-scale loss of life. “We must focus the government’s capabilities on building a government that saves lives and a country that protects people’s everyday lives,” President Lee said.

Meanwhile, during a closed-door meeting, President Lee told Cabinet members, “We need to reflect on whether the public’s desire and aspiration for social justice have been sufficiently fulfilled,” Kang Yu-jeong, senior presidential spokesperson, said. He added, “Since trust in institutions is paramount, we must also ensure strong internal discipline.” He also said, “We should not stop at economic achievements, but focus more on reform and improvement in the social sphere,” adding, “We need to assess whether we have done enough to increase transparency in our society.”

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