"Lift the Greenbelt, Let the President Reveal It"… United Party and People's Party in Agreement

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] Regarding the recent release of the Greenbelt area, conflicting opinions have emerged among government and ruling party officials, prompting the United Future Party and the People's Party to raise their voices, demanding that President Moon Jae-in "directly clarify his position."

On the morning of the 20th, Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, stated at the party's emergency committee meeting held in the National Assembly main building, "Recently, even governors and the Minister of Justice have been making statements related to housing policy regarding the Greenbelt issue," and urged, "To overcome the confusion in housing policy, President Moon must make a decisive decision."

Chairman Kim pointed out, "There is no way to avoid confusion from the recent voices regarding real estate policy," adding, "The Minister of Construction and Transportation talks about his own housing supply policy, the Deputy Prime Minister only discusses tax-related matters when the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport speaks, and the Prime Minister says something different regarding the Greenbelt issue."

He said, "Ordinary citizens have no idea whose words to trust regarding housing policy," and added, "I hope the President, who holds the ultimate responsibility for economic policy, will make a decision." Referring to cases of delayed marriage registration or divorce due to tax issues, he also pointed out, "I hope you deeply consider how the public anger manifested as tax resistance ultimately affects the situation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People's Party, said at the party's supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly, "I hope President Moon clarifies whether he is considering utilizing military-owned land and releasing the Greenbelt as part of the plan to expand housing supply," adding, "The release of the Greenbelt is a serious issue and should not be decided unilaterally by the government."

He emphasized, "The opinions of the opposition parties must be heard, and national consensus and agreement are necessary," and stated, "The use of limited national land should be reviewed and judged not at the regime level but within the country's land strategy and future sustainability. It is not an area to be considered merely to cover up and supplement the failure of real estate policy."

He continued, "In a situation where everything is decided at the Blue House, stop hiding behind a figurehead Prime Minister and ministers," and added, "I find it difficult to understand why the President, as the head of the executive branch, remains silent about the failure of core policies like real estate policy and the improvement measures."

Additionally, Leader Ahn targeted Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, saying, "Please also discipline government and ruling party officials who are stirring up confusion," and stated, "If they have opinions, they should fiercely present them at Cabinet meetings, but if they assert their views on areas outside their jurisdiction through social network services (SNS), they should resign from their ministerial positions."

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