Kim Hyun-mi's 'Apartment Bread' Remark... Opposition: "Are You Marie Antoinette?", "Bread Complaints Without Reflection"

Minister Kim Hyun-mi, National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee Current Issues Inquiry
"Apartment Supply Difficult in the Short Term" in Response to Jeonse Crisis Solution Question

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi is deep in thought during the full meeting of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 30th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Kim Hyunmi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, recently faced criticism from the opposition party after stating in response to a question about the shortage of apartment supply amid the recent jeonse crisis, "If apartments were bread, I would stay up all night to make them."

Kim Yeryeong, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a verbal statement on the 30th, "The public is distressed day by day over housing issues, but to use such an evasive rhetoric is laughable," and pointed out, "Five months ago, when the July 10th measures were announced, Minister Kim said, 'Housing supply is sufficient, and the cause of the real estate crisis is multi-homeowners.'

Spokesperson Kim added, "Apartments are not bread, so the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport exists to come up with proper measures," and argued that the Blue House should replace Minister Kim.

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seungmin criticized Minister Kim's statement "If apartments were bread, I would stay up all night to make them" on his Facebook page the same day, saying, "Who told the government to directly build apartments? The government is not a construction company," and "The government is not the place that builds apartments but the place that makes apartment policies."

He also commented on the approximately 24 real estate policies issued during the Moon Jaein administration, saying, "The policies failed, causing insane housing prices and a crazy jeonse and monthly rent crisis, cutting off the ladder to home ownership," and criticized, "This thoroughly incompetent government failed in apartment policies, and now refuses to admit policy failure, blaming innocent apartments for not being bread, which again upsets the public."

He sarcastically added, "Are you only now realizing that apartments cannot be built in a day? In the minds of this government’s people, apartments are made by the public sector, that is, the government," and "That’s why such nonsense like Marie 'Bread' Antoinette comes out."

Geun-sik Kim, Chairman of the Seoul Songpa-byeong Party Committee of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News

Professor Kim Geunsik, head of the People Power Party’s Songpa-byeong district in Seoul, also criticized Minister Kim on his Facebook post the same day, calling it "Marie Antoinette’s ‘Let them eat cake’ remark season 2," and said, "It’s the same perception as Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Sunmi’s call to break free from the apartment fantasy." He added, "In the end, Marie Antoinette met a tragic end at the guillotine."

Former Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon also criticized Minister Kim’s remarks on Facebook, calling it "bread talk without reflection," and said, "If apartments were bread, you’d want to print them out overnight? The shortage now is because there were no permits five years ago? Again, blaming the Park Geunhye administration."

Former Mayor Oh continued, "She is the queen of shamelessly blaming others," and said, "During Mayor Park Wonsoon’s time, we shouted not to cancel New Town reconstruction and redevelopment and to supply housing, and almost all media made the same demand, but stubbornness caused this mess, and now she keeps repeating blaming the previous administration like a patient with amnesia. What can we do with this person?"

Meanwhile, Minister Kim’s controversial remarks came during the morning session of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s plenary meeting. When Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Gyoheung asked why apartment supply was insufficient in the jeonse measures, Minister Kim replied, "The supply of apartments decreased in 2021 and 2022 because apartment permits were drastically reduced five years ago, and many public housing sites were also canceled."

Minister Kim added, "If apartments were bread, I would stay up all night to make them," and said, "Apartments take a long construction period, so it is difficult to prepare them immediately."

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