South Korea's housing policy debate sees public‑housing demands and criticism of president's mortgage deal

Citizen groups convened a press conference ahead of a nationally televised real‑estate policy forum, urging the government to strengthen property taxes and dramatically expand affordable public housing. They called for measures such as long‑term public rentals, low‑price public sales, broader lease‑renewal rights, realistic appraisal pricing, and a land‑lease housing model, as well as tighter profit‑recovery rules and greater transparency in housing‑related taxes.

The main opposition party accused the president of circumventing loan restrictions by mortgaging his own apartment for roughly 17.7 billion won and selling it, describing the transaction as an unfair loophole that benefits the political elite while ordinary home‑buyers face tighter lending rules. Party officials demanded a review of housing‑loan policies and highlighted the need for consistent enforcement of regulations that the government itself promotes.

Both sets of criticism underline growing public concern over housing affordability, market fairness and the perceived double standards in South Korea's real‑estate policy landscape.