Han Jung-ae, policy committee chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, said the party will push for legislative follow-up to support the government's housing supply measures announced on September 7 last year and January 29 this year. Her remarks suggest the ruling party may pass housing-related bills, including the Housing Act revision, unilaterally if the People Power Party continues its opposition.
Speaking at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Han praised the January 29 supply plan, which aims to provide 60,000 housing units by utilizing idle land and aging government buildings in the Seoul metropolitan area.
"The government announced an urban housing supply expansion plan to provide 60,000 units in preferred locations in the capital region, including Seoul," Han said. "The general assessment is that this is a realistic and practical measure as it focuses on downtown areas with convenient transportation."
She emphasized that stable housing supply can be achieved if the measures proceed without disruption. "The National Assembly's duty is to deliberate and pass some 20 bills related to the September 7 supply measures," Han said.
Han pledged to accelerate the passage of related legislation, including the Housing Act revision. "As the president said, the government and ruling party are firmly committed to resolving real estate issues that cause housing instability for ordinary citizens and asset polarization," she said. "We will do everything we can to pass supply measure-related bills for stable housing supply."
Han pointed to the People Power Party as the cause of legislative delays. "Housing stability for citizens should not become a subject of political strife," she said, calling on the opposition to actively cooperate in the legislative process at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, including the Land Bills Subcommittee chaired by their member.
Han also criticized PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk's floor speech criticizing the economic policies of what he termed the "Lee Jae-myung government," calling it an "out-of-body speech."
"I understand his desire to criticize the Lee Jae-myung government's economic policies, but he only listed sources and grounds of unknown origin without any proper analysis or alternatives," Han said.
She added that the PPP's calls for across-the-board tax cuts on income, corporate, and inheritance taxes showed "no deep consideration for securing revenue for state operations, remaining stuck in policies for high-income earners and the wealthy class."
Han called it "the epitome of self-contradiction" that the opposition opposes election education while advocating for lowering the voting age, saying it shows "no deep reflection or consideration for educational settings."