![Rep. Bok Gi-wang of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/21/news-p.v1.20260821.1f9b36509f794b149fdaec4b2f502940_P2.png)
The National Assembly passed a special act on the management and support of vacant buildings Thursday, co-sponsored by Rep. Bok Gi-wang of the Democratic Party of Korea — the ruling party's floor manager on the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and a lawmaker from Asan-gap in South Chungcheong Province — and Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party.
The two lawmakers served as the ruling and opposition floor managers on the Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee during the first half of the current legislative term and jointly introduced the bill. After review alongside related legislation and consolidation into a committee substitute, the bill cleared the full plenary session Thursday.
The law's central aim is to unify the fragmented management framework for vacant buildings and clarify the responsibilities of the central government, local authorities and property owners. Local governments will be required to conduct a full survey every five years and an annual status check, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will use that data to build and maintain a nationwide information system and statistics database.
The law also strengthens the tools available for remediation. Authorities can designate areas with a high concentration of vacant buildings as priority improvement zones for intensive action, and the central and local governments may provide subsidies or loans to cover project costs. A new "vacant-building management business" category will be created for private-sector operators, and renovation projects will be eligible for relaxed building-coverage and floor-area-ratio requirements.
Oversight of vacant buildings that pose safety or crime risks will also be tightened. Local governments will be empowered to order safety measures or demolition and, when necessary, carry out demolition on their own authority. Owners who fail to comply with such orders may face compulsory fines. The law is expected to eliminate hazards from long-neglected structures, improve residents' living conditions and breathe new life into declining city centers and communities by putting vacant buildings back to productive use.
"Vacant buildings are no longer simply a matter of private property — they are directly tied to residents' safety, their living environment and the decline of local communities," Bok said. "This special act lays the groundwork for the central government and local authorities to take a more proactive role in managing and improving them."
He added that vacant buildings should not be seen merely as eyesores to be torn down, but as assets that, properly renovated and put to use, can restore vitality to declining city centers and regions.
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
