"Happy Housing" and "Newlywed Hope Town" Already Exist, So Why Another? Ministry of Land to Spend 250 Million Won on New Brand Development

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is investing 250 million won to develop a new brand that encapsulates the direction of its housing welfare policy. The goal is to effectively promote the housing policies of the Lee Jaemyung administration, similar to previous brands such as "Bogeumjari," "Happy Housing," and "Newlywed Happy Town." However, as each administration has introduced its own symbolic housing pledge brands, the types of rental housing have been divided into dozens of categories according to supply methods and target groups, leading to significant confusion. Therefore, experts point out that organizing these brands should be the first priority.

According to the request for proposal for the "Housing Welfare Promotion Strategy Service" being prepared by the ministry as of October 21, the government has decided to create a policy slogan and housing brand name that represent the current administration’s housing welfare policy. They also plan to develop a slogan and integrated brand design to symbolize the initiative.

New Home Promotion Center set up at the Goyang Business Headquarters of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News

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The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), which is co-commissioning this project, will contribute 200 million won, while the ministry will provide 50 million won. The ministry explained, "We are reviewing the supply of more than 1.1 million public housing units over five years and customized housing support policies as core tasks of the new administration," adding, "There is a need to establish a comprehensive promotion strategy through a professional agency." Given that the ministry has requested not only a symbol mark, logotype, and font, but also application designs and future promotional strategies, it appears that the ministry internally considers the launch of a new brand to be a foregone conclusion and is proceeding accordingly.

Each previous administration has introduced brands symbolizing their respective housing welfare policies, such as public rental housing. Former President Lee Myungbak's administration introduced "Bogeumjari" housing, a public sale and rental housing initiative for low-income households and newlyweds, with the ambitious plan of supplying 1.5 million units over ten years, extending beyond his term. The government and ruling party actively promoted this initiative, even enacting a special law in the first year of his presidency. Although the official brand name was "New Plus," which meant adding new value to housing, the name "Bogeumjari" became more widely known.

The Park Geunhye administration introduced "Happy Housing" for young people and newlyweds, and "New Stay," a corporate rental housing model. The Moon Jaein administration announced a housing welfare roadmap and launched "Newlywed Hope Town." Currently, Happy Housing remains one of the types of rental housing being supplied. Although it was heavily promoted for its proximity to workplaces, it faced opposition from existing local residents during implementation, and in some pilot districts, the project was withdrawn after various difficulties. The Newlywed Hope Town initiative from the Moon Jaein administration is still being supplied by LH and major local governments.

In 2018, Lee Jae-myung, then governor of Gyeonggi Province, is giving a greeting speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for Happy Housing held in Pangyo. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

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The Yoon Sukyeol administration introduced a new public sale brand, "New Home." Like previous initiatives, it was launched in the first year of the term with the goal of stabilizing housing for young people and low-income groups, but it also expanded eligibility to the middle-aged. The administration announced a plan to supply 500,000 units by 2027.

As each administration adds or abolishes brands with every change in government, the types of rental housing-considered a core pillar of housing welfare-have become increasingly complex. For example, LH offers seven types of construction-based rental housing, such as National Rental and Happy Housing, and eight types of purchase-based rental housing. In addition, there are five types of jeonse (long-term deposit-based) rental housing. Each type has different rental conditions, eligibility criteria based on income and assets, rental periods, deposits, and rent. Because the scale of public funding support is specified in detail according to the supply method, LH, local governments, and local public enterprise officials must constantly familiarize themselves with new types, creating a confusing situation.

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