'Surprise Selection' Won Hee-ryong: "Firmly Representing the Interests of the Entire People Over Established Powers"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Among the eight ministerial candidates for the new government announced by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol on the 10th, the most notable appointment is Won Hee-ryong, the candidate for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Although he has political and administrative experience as a three-term member of the National Assembly and twice as Governor of Jeju Province, he has limited direct experience dealing with real estate, land, and transportation policies. Given the high public interest in real estate policies, the prevailing expectation was that the inaugural Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport would be an expert in the related fields.

Candidate Won stated that President-elect Yoon asked him to "maintain balance with the mindset of politically representing the entire nation." Since policies on housing and transportation are directly linked to people's livelihoods and are also political issues, Won explained that it was a judgment that these issues should not be addressed solely with technical expertise.

Won said, "When any group accumulates vested interests, the public’s sense of common sense and fairness can be lost," adding, "Therefore, it means to maintain distance from vested interest structures and to firmly represent the interests of the entire nation without being swayed by various interest groups."

Seeming aware of criticisms about his lack of expertise, he said, "Technical and administrative expertise should be fully embraced and supplemented, but if we approach it only with that, we cannot achieve balanced development of real estate and land that meets the current public’s pain and expectations." He added, "The President-elect has a very strong will to reduce infrastructure gaps, so the burden lies in how to politically implement this, not in concerns about expertise."

Won outlined his plan, saying, "I intend to formulate policies focusing on housing stability for the working class and middle class, and on how the younger generation can have the dream of forming future assets."

Regarding housing prices, he is expected to pursue policies centered on stability. He emphasized, "I believe housing prices should be stabilized," and added, "We will take a cautious approach focused on stability to avoid unnecessarily stimulating real estate prices." He also stated, "Due to partial validity in reducing regulations, taxes, and financial burdens, we will ensure that concerns about stimulating real estate prices do not disrupt the overall balance."

Won said, "There is no need to attach binding force or meaning to the various fragmented remarks currently coming out from the transition team," adding, "From now on, I will listen to many experts, stakeholders, and the voices of public anger on the ground, delve into policy gaps, and use that as momentum to fulfill my role." He continued, "I believe this is the President-elect’s intention in appointing me, who is not a land expert or from the construction sector."

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