Hong Ji-seon, first local-government official nominated to lead land ministry
'Learned a great deal in local government … will communicate closely'
Vows to prioritize housing for youth, newlyweds; calls for consistent policy
Says President Lee has not contacted him personally since nomination
Hong Ji-seon, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, became the first official from a local government background to be nominated as land minister. He said Monday he would work closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ensure housing policies take effect on the ground.
Speaking to reporters on his way into Government Complex Sejong that morning, Hong said rapid housing supply was the priority and that coordination with Seoul city officials was paramount. "I have studied a great deal while working in local government and have experienced firsthand how central government policies reach the field when they come down to local governments," he said. "I will hold thorough advance consultations with the Seoul Metropolitan Government so that policies can actually work."
Hong was nominated for the post on Sunday. He entered public service in 1996 after passing the second regional senior civil service examination and built his career in Gyeonggi Province, holding key positions in urban planning, construction, transportation and housing. He worked alongside President Lee Jae Myung when Lee served as Gyeonggi Province governor, serving as director general of the province's railroad, port and logistics bureau and as head of its urban housing division. He also handled the policy groundwork for basic housing — the signature residential policy of Lee's tenure as Gyeonggi governor.
With the Land Ministry and the Seoul Metropolitan Government at odds over issues including housing supply on the Yongsan Park site and the lifting of development restrictions in greenbelt zones, Hong has expressed ambitions to lead a cooperative framework with Seoul and accelerate housing supply, drawing on his hands-on experience in Gyeonggi Province.
Hong said President Lee had not contacted him personally since the nomination. "I have been given an enormously weighty mission at a difficult time," he said. "I will pursue practical policies that people can feel in their daily lives, drawing on the field experience I built in Gyeonggi Province and the expertise I have gained as second vice minister of the land ministry, and I will communicate closely with the public, the National Assembly and all stakeholders."
He also listed housing policy for youth and newlyweds and faster housing supply in key areas as his top priorities. "Housing policy has a major impact on people's lives and the market, so consistent and predictable policy is needed," Hong said. "I will work to ensure that housing supply measures are carried out swiftly and that policy is effective at every stage, from ground-breaking to move-in."
He added that he would strengthen the foundations for locally driven growth through support for major projects and expansion of transportation infrastructure to achieve balanced national development and close mobility gaps across regions. "Future mobility and other initiatives that have been pushed forward as key priorities will begin to produce tangible results in earnest," he said.
Hong began receiving briefings on matters under the second vice minister's purview Monday and simultaneously formed a preparation team to begin readying for his confirmation hearing.
"If I am given the opportunity to serve as minister, I will do my utmost to make South Korea irreplaceable," he said, adding that he would share detailed policy directions at the confirmation hearing.
Hong is a native of Donghae in Gangwon Province. He graduated from Seongnam High School in Seoul and earned a degree in civil engineering from Hanyang University before completing a master's degree in urban and regional planning at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. In Gyeonggi Province, he served as director of road policy, road planning, construction, railroads, and railroad, port and logistics, as well as head of the urban housing division, overseeing urban planning and housing policy. He later served as deputy mayor of Namyangju before being appointed second vice minister of the land ministry in December last year.
hwshin@heraldcorp.com
