Byun Chang-heum, Who Expanded the Organization, Now Says... "The Problem of LH's Monopoly Position"

The Main Actor Who Emphasized Expanding Roles with a Focus on Public Leadership
Adding Fuel to the Fire of Public Anger... Calls for Resignation Grow Louder

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum attended an emergency inquiry on LH speculation allegations held at the National Assembly on the 9th and whispered to a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official before the meeting started. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum's successive remarks are adding fuel to the public sentiment boiling over the land speculation by Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) employees in new towns. Until just three months ago, he was serving as the president of LH and leading the expansion of the organization's work scope, but as the controversy over employee speculation spread, he judged it to be "due to LH's monopolistic position." Furthermore, as he repeatedly made remarks that seemed to shield the speculative employees, voices demanding Minister Byeon's dismissal are rising in political circles and online communities.

According to the National Assembly on the 10th, Minister Byeon attended the full meeting of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee the previous day and stated, "LH has supplied 80% of public housing so far and has acquired a monopolistic position, which has caused many side effects," adding, "I have a plan to fundamentally reorganize LH's role."

The problem is that Minister Byeon himself is the one who rapidly expanded LH's monopolistic position. Since his appointment as LH president in April 2019, he has continuously emphasized strengthening the public role in the housing market and expanded the organization and its work. Just two months after his inauguration, in June 2019, he carried out the first organizational restructuring to expand LH's role, including revitalizing the Urban Regeneration New Deal project and strengthening new town construction functions. In December of the same year, he attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the LH-participatory street housing maintenance project in the Incheon Seokjeong district and strongly advocated the need to expand LH's role.

The first real estate policy after his appointment as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the February 4th measure, even has "public" as a keyword. The large-scale supply expansion plan of 830,000 households reflects a strong intention for public involvement not only in public land but also in private redevelopment and reconstruction projects.

His protection of his own people continues to cause controversy. On the 9th, during an interview with a media outlet at the National Assembly, when asked by lawmakers whether his remark that LH employees "probably did not invest knowing development information in advance" was sincere, he repeatedly answered, "Based on my experience, that is the case," which fueled the controversy. In particular, Minister Byeon even made remarks implying that the government was to blame for this incident. At the meeting that day, he mentioned, "On the other hand, the government did not spend welfare costs with the budget, so profits arose in the process of cross-subsidizing with the gains from development."

Currently, on the Blue House National Petition Board, demands for Minister Byeon's dismissal continue. In the political sphere, criticism of Minister Byeon's responsibility is pouring out not only from the opposition but also within the ruling party.

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