President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a senior secretaries meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a senior secretaries meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung called Thursday for slashing permit and approval procedures and securing housing sites "even if laws and regulations must be revised" to accelerate the supply of new homes.

Speaking at the 43rd senior secretaries meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said the government must "mount an all-out, across-the-board supply offensive with a special sense of resolve."

The government announced Thursday a rapid housing supply plan aimed at stabilizing the jeonse and monthly rent market as well as the sales market. The plan centers on adding more than 230,000 homes in the Greater Seoul area, including 100,000 units on new housing sites — among them land released from the greenbelt.

Lee described the real estate problem as "a core issue for South Korea that exerts an enormous influence on nearly every part of our society," and said the government must refine tax and financial policy alongside supply measures to normalize the market.

He went on to say that "social resources have been excessively concentrated in real estate for a long time, deepening polarization and inequality," adding that "the real estate bubble has reached a level that can no longer be left unaddressed."

Lee further described the issue as "a ticking time bomb threatening the lives of the people and the future of the nation," saying the government must "concentrate every available tool and resource" on solving it.

He pointed particularly to a supply shortage, saying there had been "a supply cliff from 2022 until now." "Permits have been sharply reduced and ground-breakings have fallen off dramatically, inevitably creating a kind of supply cliff — extraordinary efforts are needed to fill that gap," he said.

Lee added that supply policy "involves many real-world obstacles and takes a long time, which is precisely why we must approach it with an even greater sense of resolve and wage an all-out supply offensive on every front."

Lee also directed officials to address the so-called "marriage penalty" — a recently debated issue in which married couples end up worse off than single individuals under certain policies. "People are finding that getting married actually puts them at a disadvantage compared to living alone," he said. "I would like all the flaws in each area to be identified and corrected so that no one feels they are being treated unfairly."

He went on to say that "truly competent administration means constantly improving policy from the public's perspective, not from the convenience of administrative suppliers," pledging that the government would "focus its best efforts so that citizens can enjoy a more stable residential environment and everyone can realize the dream of owning a home."

Alongside the real estate issue, Lee said the military's structure must be comprehensively overhauled to match a rapidly changing battlefield environment centered on AI, drones and robots.

"To prepare for future warfare, where vast amounts of information are analyzed in real time and large numbers of advanced weapons are deployed, a strategy to reorganize the defense system around technology and cutting-edge equipment is essential," he said.

Lee noted that the country's declining military-age population due to the low birth rate makes it difficult to sustain the current personnel-heavy force structure, and signaled the possible introduction of a selective conscription system.

"Maintaining the current inefficient, manpower-heavy, infantry-centered military structure is neither possible nor desirable given the continuing low birth rate," he said. "Defense reform — transforming our military into a smart, elite force built around advanced equipment and technology through the introduction of selective conscription — must be pursued swiftly and thoroughly."

Lee also said compensation and treatment for young people serving in the military must be significantly improved as part of the process.

He said it is important to "redesign the system so that our youth, who are the backbone of national defense, can plan for a better life in the future," and directed officials to develop detailed policies ensuring that military service can serve as a foundation for good jobs, quality education and stable asset-building.


sang@heraldcorp.com