SH Corporation President Candidate Kim Heon-dong, Head of Gyeongshilryeon, Likely... Another Experiment by Oh Se-hoon?

Applications for SH Corporation President Candidates Closed on the 13th: Kim Heondong, Head of Real Estate and Construction Reform at Gyeongsilryeon; Han Changseop, Former Director of Public Housing Promotion at Ministry of Land; Kim Woojin, Former CEO of Seoul REITs

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Kim Heon-dong, head of the Real Estate and Construction Reform Headquarters at the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) and a progressive civic activist known for advocating 'disclosure of pre-sale costs,' appears to be a strong candidate for the president of Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH), a subsidiary of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The SH President Recommendation Committee reportedly received applications by 6 p.m. on the 13th from Kim Heon-dong, former Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Public Housing Promotion Team leader Han Chang-seop, and former Seoul REITs president Kim Woo-jin.

The corporation reopened the call for candidates after former candidate Kim Hyun-ah was disqualified following revelations at the Seoul Metropolitan Council's SH president candidate hearing that she owned four real estate properties, including two houses, one officetel, and one commercial unit.

Given the candidates who applied on this day, Kim Heon-dong’s application seems to reflect the intentions of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, drawing attention.

Born in 1955 in Buyeo, Chungnam, Kim joined Ssangyong Construction in 1992 and retired as a department head. In 1997, he joined CCEJ’s Apartment Price Bubble Removal Movement Headquarters and has actively engaged in real estate-related civic activism for 25 years.

Notably, Kim, who is the younger brother of Kim Tae-dong, former Blue House economic chief under the Roh Moo-hyun administration and professor at Sungkyunkwan University, was close to the late Mayor Park Won-soon and advocated that SH should build land lease housing rather than pre-sale housing.

Kim’s candidacy for SH president appears to have been influenced by Mayor Oh’s camp. This is partly because during the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, CCEJ criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s real estate policies and provided indirect support to Oh Se-hoon’s campaign.

Mayor Oh is interpreted to have put forward the progressive Kim Heon-dong after Kim Hyun-ah’s disqualification, aiming for a smooth passage through the Seoul Metropolitan Council hearing, where the Democratic Party holds the majority.

There is also analysis that Mayor Oh’s support for Kim’s candidacy reflects his own presidential ambitions, as he has recently made statements opposing the government’s COVID-19 measures.

The SH President Recommendation Committee will conduct interviews with these candidates, select the top one or two, and submit them to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. After a hearing at the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Mayor Oh will make the appointment.

If the committee ranks Kim Heon-dong first and submits him to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, his appointment as SH president seems almost certain.

Meanwhile, inside SH, there is noticeable tension as Kim, a progressive civic activist who has advocated for disclosure of pre-sale costs, is expected to bring revolutionary changes to the organization’s management if appointed, drawing significant attention.

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