Ministry of Land, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Oceans Collaborate to Manage Over 100,000 Vacant Houses Nationwide

Published 18 Apr.2022 07:49(KST)

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 18th that it has signed an inter-ministerial memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to efficiently manage vacant houses abandoned in urban and rural fishing villages.

Through this agreement, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plan to jointly promote tasks related to vacant house policies, such as integrated management of urban and rural vacant house information and system improvements. This year, the number of vacant houses nationwide confirmed to have been unused for more than one year reaches 108,000. The number of long-term abandoned vacant houses is increasing due to intensified population outflow, aging, and risks of regional hollowing.

Long-term abandoned vacant houses pose risks such as deterioration of village aesthetics, safety accidents, and potential use for crimes, necessitating meticulous status checks and management. However, until now, the responsible ministries have been divided: the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for urban areas, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for rural areas, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries for fishing villages. Additionally, laws and standards related to vacant house management differ, limiting systematic management and utilization.

To address this, the standards for vacant house surveys, which have been applied differently in urban and rural fishing village areas, will be unified. Nationwide statistics integrating urban and rural fishing village information will also be established and disclosed.

In the mid to long term, the ministries will jointly promote the enactment of a Vacant House Act (tentative name) that includes standards for vacant house maintenance and institutional support, and work to improve the accuracy and reliability of vacant house statistics so that they can be designated as nationally approved statistics. They will also closely cooperate in discovering vacant house maintenance support projects, tax reform, and institutional research.

Kim Soo-sang, Director of the Housing and Land Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Through this memorandum of understanding, a foundation has been established to more efficiently promote vacant house management and maintenance in the future," adding, "We will create a virtuous cycle system that secures regional regeneration and growth momentum by revitalizing maintenance using credible vacant house statistics."