Democratic lawmaker Park Ji-won slams party's 'bus house' damage control, demands apology

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won criticized his party's handling of the so-called "bus house" controversy, saying the party should apologize rather than dismiss the episode.

Park appeared on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Politics Show" Monday and said fellow lawmaker Hwang Hee — whom he described as "a very careful and decent person" — had "posted an inappropriate example that particularly provoked young people and students."

Asked about the party's move to characterize the incident as a mere "happening," Park pushed back sharply. "Why is it a happening? It was wrong," he said. "Shut up and apologize."

He said the floor leader should warn Hwang and signal that he needs to be more careful, adding that such a response was necessary for voters in their 20s and 30s and the broader public to understand.

The controversy began Friday when Hwang proposed on Facebook converting decommissioned buses into short-term housing units for young people near university campuses. The suggestion drew immediate criticism as being out of touch with the realities of the youth housing crisis, and Hwang deleted the post.

Hwang later uploaded a separate explanatory post, writing that "young people apparently feel offended," but deleted that post as well.

In response, Democratic Party policy committee chairwoman Han Jeong-ae told reporters at the National Assembly on Sunday that the proposal was "nearly impossible to realize" and asked the public to "see it as a happening."

Han said countries like the Netherlands, with canals and consistent rainfall, have many houseboats, and suggested Hwang had offered his idea in a similar spirit.

She added, however, that "in a country like ours, where summers and winters are so extreme, it is nearly impossible to realize," and that "if there is idle land available, it would be better to build homes than bus living spaces."

Han said the proposal had come from a desire to "think about various ideas," and that the Democratic Party "takes seriously the housing situation felt by young people and is discussing ways to accelerate supply."