The Democratic Party launches Jeonse Fraud Task Force... "Oppose public purchase of empty shell houses"

Park Dae-chul, Policy Committee Chair, Leads TF Directly
Tomorrow (20th) First TF Meeting of Party-Government Council

The People Power Party launched a task force (TF) on jeonse fraud on the 19th. The TF is led by Policy Committee Chairman Park Dae-chul as the chairperson, with ruling party secretaries from related standing committees participating as members. The People Power Party clearly opposed the public purchase plan promoted by the opposition party as a countermeasure against jeonse fraud on the same day.

On the day, Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, held a closed meeting at the National Assembly with Policy Committee Chairman Park and the floor leadership and made this decision. Immediately after the meeting, Chairman Park told reporters, "We decided to immediately form an in-party TF to prepare countermeasures for jeonse fraud victims, and as the Policy Committee Chairman, I will serve as the chairperson."

The TF includes Lee Man-hee, the secretary of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and senior deputy chairman of the Policy Committee; Kim Jeong-jae, secretary of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee; Jeong Jeom-sik, secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee; Ryu Seong-geol, secretary of the Strategy and Finance Committee; and Yoon Han-hong, secretary of the Political Affairs Committee, all participating as members. Yoo Kyung-jun, a member of the Land Committee and former head of the National Statistical Office, will also serve as a TF member, and there are plans to involve external experts in the future.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Park said, "We will also invite necessary external experts as members to operate the TF," adding, "Tomorrow (the 20th), the party-government consultative meeting will effectively be the first meeting, and we plan to hold meetings as needed in the future. We are also considering the timing for visiting the sites of the damage."

The People Power Party plans to hold a party-government consultative meeting on the 20th with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Justice, the Financial Services Commission, the police, and the National Tax Service to discuss follow-up measures against jeonse fraud. Chairman Park said, "Tomorrow's meeting will effectively be the first meeting," and "we will hold meetings as needed in the future" and "are coordinating the timing for visiting the damage sites."

The party and government plan to proceed with follow-up legislation to prevent jeonse fraud through TF discussions.

However, the People Power Party clearly opposed the public purchase plan, which involves the state directly purchasing jeonse properties, as proposed by the opposition party. Chairman Park emphasized, "Some have proposed that the state purchase the properties or use them as rental housing, but whether the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) or the government purchases them, the primary benefit goes entirely to the creditors," adding, "Since it does not go toward relief or compensation for the victims but rather to the creditors, we are not considering it."

Earlier, Park Chan-dae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, stated at the Supreme Council meeting that public purchase of empty jeonse houses and the enactment of a 'Special Act on Empty Jeonse' are necessary as relief measures for jeonse fraud victims. Shim Sang-jung, a member of the Justice Party, also proposed the 'Special Act on Public Purchase of Empty Jeonse.'

Meanwhile, Chairman Park said he plans to visit the bereaved family of a victim who took extreme measures due to jeonse fraud damage to offer condolences.

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