Kim Hyun-jung, floor spokeswoman of the Democratic Party of Korea, on Sunday urged People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyuk to "promise the public when he will sell" his multiple properties, referring to Jang's earlier pledge to sell his homes if President Lee Jae-myung sold his.
"The PPP should stop stoking groundless fear and cooperate with restraint in normalizing the market," Kim said in a written briefing. PPP leader Jang had previously said he would sell his properties if President Lee sold his home first. Jang later listed an officetel unit for sale, but it has remained unsold.
"The PPP held what amounts to a 'rain dance for policy failure' over the government's real estate policies, and now they are branding them an outright 'failure' and declaring a moral victory," Kim said. "They do not hesitate to make demagogic remarks distorting the essence of the issue, claiming the president is trying to shift the burden of policy failure onto the public through taxes."
"What exactly has failed?" Kim asked. "Apartment prices in overheated areas including the three Gangnam districts have continued to adjust after turning downward, and Seoul apartment transaction volumes are showing signs of recovery compared with the same period last year."
"In multiple opinion polls, more than half of respondents said strengthened regulations 'help' stabilize housing prices, and public expectations for the overall policy direction remain dominant," she said. "When the indicators are pointing to positive signals like this, why does only the PPP insist it is a failure?"
"The purpose of the government's real estate policy is not 'increasing tax revenue' but 'market normalization,'" Kim said. "The president's remark about 'watertight blocking of even the 0.1 percent' is a declaration to create a transparent market where speculators have no foothold, for ordinary citizens who dream of owning their own homes."
"The government is closely monitoring current market conditions and broadly reviewing various policy measures for market stability," she added. "Those who kick away the housing ladder are the speculators who cause housing prices to skyrocket and rob ordinary citizens of hope, along with the forces that shield them."
