▲Kim Dae-sik, head of the special advisory team for People Power Party leader, explained on the 13th that Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's week-long visit to the United States, coming about 50 days before the June 3 local elections, reflects the principle of "gun-gun-shin-shin-bu-bu-ja-ja" (君君臣臣父父子子) — meaning "let kings do king's work, ministers do minister's work, fathers do father's work, and sons do son's work; the party leader has tasks befitting a party leader." However, with an election defeat widely anticipated, one wonders whether there is truly a more pressing matter for the party leader than finalizing nominations or developing election strategy. No wonder critics are calling this "an escapist departure abandoning the election."
▲Seoul residents purchasing apartments and officetels in Gyeonggi Province reached 15.7% in March, the highest level in about three years, according to court data analyzed by Zigbang on the 13th. Loan regulations, Seoul's high housing prices, and the rental crisis are driving buyers toward Gyeonggi Province, which offers better accessibility to Seoul at relatively lower prices. Meanwhile, KB Real Estate reported the previous day that while prices for Seoul's top 20% of apartments fell last month, apartments priced at 1.5 billion won or below continue to rise. While speculation regulations matter, supply measures for ordinary citizens' housing stability seem more urgent.
