Kim Heon-dong, the 'Moon Jae-in Real Estate Policy' Critic, Becomes Final Candidate for SH President

SH President Passes Third Public Interview... 1 of 2 Final Candidates
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Supports, Increasing Appointment Likelihood

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Kim Heon-dong, former head of the Real Estate and Construction Reform Headquarters at the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, who has strongly criticized the Moon Jae-in administration's real estate policy failures, has been selected as a final candidate for the president of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation). The SH Corporation president recruitment, vacant for six months, is now in its third round due to voluntary withdrawals and controversies over interview fairness. Kim previously applied for the second recruitment at the recommendation of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon but was eliminated. Given Mayor Oh’s renewed support, Kim’s appointment is considered highly likely.

According to Seoul City on the 1st, the SH Corporation president executive recommendation committee conducted interviews with candidates on the 29th of last month and selected two final candidates, including Kim, and submitted them to Seoul City. Kim, a civic activist who has been active in the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice since 2000, established the "Apartment Price Bubble Removal Task Force" in 2004, proposing measures such as disclosure of pre-sale costs and improvement of land supply systems. It is reported that Kim received the highest score in the recent interview.

After Seoul City completes the verification of these candidates and selects one final candidate, the Seoul Metropolitan Council will conduct a confirmation hearing. The council prepares the hearing within 10 days of the request. However, the confirmation hearing report has no legal binding force. This means that even if the council issues an 'unsuitable' opinion on Kim, Mayor Oh can still proceed with the appointment.

This SH Corporation president recruitment is the third since former president Kim Se-yong retired in April. In the first recruitment, former National Assembly member Kim Hyun-ah was selected as the final candidate and underwent a council hearing but was eliminated due to controversies over multiple home ownership. In the second recruitment, Kim applied and emerged as a strong candidate but was eliminated during the executive recommendation committee interview process.

Some have pointed out that members of the executive recommendation committee recommended by the Seoul Metropolitan Council gave Kim low scores because he has been a harsh critic of the Moon administration's real estate policies, which led to his elimination. Kim has been a government real estate policy critic, claiming, "During the four years in power, 25 real estate policies were announced, but none succeeded in controlling housing prices due to wrong solutions." Subsequently, Mayor Oh judged both candidates who passed the interview as unsuitable, leading to the third recruitment.

Since Mayor Oh proposed the SH Corporation president recruitment to Kim, Kim’s final appointment is considered highly probable. On the 3rd, during a Seoul Metropolitan Council policy question session, Mayor Oh said, "In a situation where apartment prices are soaring, it would be great if we could bring in someone like Kim to control apartment prices, which is why I proposed he apply as a policy decision."

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