New land minister's first stop: a public housing site, with a message on execution over planning

Hong Ji-sun, the newly appointed minister of land, infrastructure and transport, chose a real estate outing as her first official act after taking office.

Hong visited the Bucheon Daejang district Tuesday afternoon to inspect progress on land development and housing supply at the third-generation new town site.

The Bucheon Daejang district is a third-generation new town in a prime location adjacent to Seoul, set to deliver about 20,000 housing units. The development is planned as a self-sufficient, live-work community integrating residential, transportation and employment functions, anchored by the Daejang-Hongdae rail line and other metropolitan transit links, as well as an advanced industrial complex. The first housing ground-breaking took place in December 2024, with 1,600 units scheduled for initial move-in in November 2027. Korean Air, SK Innovation, SK hynix and DN Solutions are among the anchor companies slated to move into the industrial complex.

At the site, Hong said "execution matters more than planning when it comes to housing supply," adding that the ministry must "closely manage project schedules and progress — including applying a fastest-possible ground-breaking model to third-generation new towns — and carefully oversee not only the Bucheon Daejang district but the full range of housing supply policies, including the Aug. 13 measures, so that efforts translate into tangible results for the people's residential stability."

On the residential stability plan announced Monday, Hong said the core objective was "to ensure people can feel genuine residential stability by supplying ample, high-quality housing in good locations — including through the provision of about 1.19 million public housing units — and to build a housing ladder." She also asked officials to manage the Bucheon Daejang project with particular care, noting that it would pilot an intergenerational housing model — where newlyweds, seniors and other generations live together in a single complex to encourage mutual care — so that residents can experience real intergenerational exchange and support in their daily lives.

Her choice of a housing construction site as her first destination after taking office signals her intent to lead from the front in the pan-government push for aggressive housing supply and to work toward stabilizing the housing market. During her confirmation hearing, Hong said she would "mobilize the full capacity of both the public and private sectors to swiftly push forward housing supply in the locations people want, until the market feels it has enough."

Hong also said Tuesday that "for people to feel the results of housing supply, it is important to push projects forward with momentum while strictly keeping the promised supply schedule and quality standards." She urged officials to manage construction sites rigorously to prevent shoddy work or safety accidents even as project pace increases, and to raise safety and quality standards across public housing districts, including the third-generation new towns.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung, who is visiting New York, approved Hong's ministerial appointment Tuesday (Monday local time).