Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do said on the 24th that the party and government will launch working-level legislative talks on housing supply and property tax reform, centered on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and its finance and economic planning committee.
Speaking at a supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Han said the goal now is execution. "We will add speed to supply, realism to taxation and results to legislation. What matters now is implementation," he said. He added that for government measures to translate into actual supply and housing stability for future generations, the National Assembly must back them with timely legislation.
Han criticized Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, saying the mayor had drawn a firm line by insisting he "cannot concede even a centimeter" of Yongsan Park. "A plan to supply housing using the Yongsan Park site should not be ruled out from the start," Han said. "We must discuss it with all possibilities open, looking at whether there is a way to supply housing while upholding the principles of preserving the park's function and its green space." He said property tax reform would likewise involve gathering public opinion fully to draft detailed legislation that protects owner-occupier buyers and improves fairness in taxation.
On the creation of a fund for future response, Han said the opposition People Power Party was mounting an offensive by calling it a slush fund and a super contingency reserve, but that this amounted to nothing more than a political attack distorting the fund's purpose and the facts. "Once it becomes a fund, each project goes through the National Assembly's prior review and approval, and every time money is drawn, it must be reported to the Assembly without delay," he stressed.
Han added that doing as the People Power Party argues would be the riskier course. "Opposing this fund means opposing the Republic of Korea's future," he said. "We will make it a reservoir that supports public finances when tax revenues waver. We will do our utmost in legislation and deliberation to ensure it is executed transparently and soundly, in line with the National Finance Act."
