Jinseongjun: "'One Household, One Home' Bill Socialist? ...Did They Not Understand the Content?"

"No Ban on Multiple Home Ownership"
"A Declarative Bill Proposing 1 Household 1 Home as the Standard"

Jinseongjun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, attended the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of July 13. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Jin Seongjun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, rebutted criticism from opposition parties that his so-called 'One Household, One Home' bill is a "socialist law," saying, "They either do not properly understand the substantive content of the bill or are deliberately interpreting it that way."

On the 23rd, Jin appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jongbae's Focus" and said, "(The bill) prioritizes supply to the homeless and declares the principle and basic idea that one household should live in or own one home."

He continued, "In 1995, the total number of houses was 9.57 million, and by 2018 it had doubled to 20.82 million. The housing supply rate also rose from 74% to over 104% during the same period," adding, "However, the homeownership rate only increased by 4 percentage points from 54% to 58%. Despite continuous housing supply, 40% of households remain homeless, and the number of households owning multiple homes is increasing."

He further explained, "The one household, one home principle is already institutionalized. Priority points are given to the homeless in subscription applications, and comprehensive real estate taxes and other taxes are heavily imposed on multi-homeowners who do not reside in their homes," emphasizing, "All of this reflects the basic principle of one household, one home."

Jin stressed, "The law proposing one household, one home as a basic principle does not prohibit owning multiple homes," and "It does not enforce one household, one home."

On the 14th, a view of the apartment complexes in the Gangbuk area was seen from the Seoul Sky observation deck at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on the 21st, twelve Democratic Party lawmakers, including Jin, proposed the "Partial Amendment to the Housing Basic Act."

The bill's core content includes ▲ the basic principle of one household owning and residing in one home ▲ prohibition of using housing for asset accumulation or speculative purposes ▲ priority supply to those who do not own a home or intend to actually reside in one, collectively called the "Three Principles of Housing Justice." However, the bill itself contains no punitive or compulsory provisions.

Regarding the purpose of the bill, Jin explained, "It aims to practically secure the people's right to housing and reduce asset inequality," adding, "We want to clarify that a house is not a means of asset accumulation or speculation but a place to live."

However, some opposition members criticized the bill as "openly advocating socialism." On the 22nd, Kim Hyun-ah, a member of the People Power Party's Emergency Committee, wrote on her Facebook, "Isn't the one household, one home principle already in place? Otherwise, wouldn't it all be fines (punitive taxes)?" and questioned, "Is this a 'show of power' that the major opposition party can do this?"

On the same day, Park Su-dang of the same party also wrote on Facebook, "It is terrifying that socialist laws restricting private property could be proposed recklessly," and asked rhetorically, "Since when did our people agree to abandon liberal democracy and market economy and move toward socialism?"

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