Candidate Park Sang-woo: "Diverse Housing Supply Including Officetels... Tax Relief Should Be Considered Carefully"

Park Sang-woo, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, expressed his commitment to increasing housing supply within urban areas and stated that he would promote the construction of officetels. However, he remained cautious about policies that could stimulate demand, such as tax relief measures.

Park Sang-woo, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is delivering an opening statement at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 20th. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the morning of the 20th, during the confirmation hearing before the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, in response to a question from Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party regarding delays in the government’s housing supply plans, Park said, "We will identify areas where housing supply can be quickly increased and prioritize easing regulations in those areas. In particular, we will ensure that housing supply within urban areas is significantly expanded."

He was also positive about the supply of officetels. In a Q&A session with Assemblyman Yoo Kyung-joon, Park stated, "We need to strive to supply various types of housing, and promoting the construction of officetels is one of the policies I have in mind."

However, he maintained a cautious stance regarding tax relief related to whether officetels should be counted as housing units. This is a key regulation in the non-apartment sector that Minister Won Hee-ryong of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport had not addressed. The industry demands that officetels be excluded from the housing unit count to exempt multi-homeowners from heavy taxation.

Park said, "When it comes to tax issues, the previous government imposed taxes to curb speculative demand, so I believe various regulations on the supply side should be swiftly eased," but added, "We need to carefully consider aspects that could stimulate demand."

He also expressed the view that the regulation on owning two houses per household in rural and fishing villages should be lifted.

Park stated, "There is a huge price difference between rural areas and the metropolitan area, but it is unreasonable to treat owning two houses in rural areas the same way," adding, "There are many cases where people suffer unfairly because owning even a small second house is considered as having two houses."

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