Lee Calls for Faster Procedures to Boost Korea’s Housing Supply

President Lee Jae Myung called for faster administrative procedures to expand South Korea’s housing supply, arguing that delays in preparing development sites and approving construction must be reduced as the government tries to stabilize the property market.

Lee issued the directive during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He said stable housing is essential to improving everyday life and pointed to declines in construction permits and the release of new land for real estate development over the past three years as factors behind disruptions in supply.

The president said the current market problems had accumulated over time and could not be addressed by a single measure. He called for consistent market management alongside the prompt implementation of large-scale supply policies. Officials, he said, should not remain bound by customary practices and procedures when they prepare land or process permits for new homes.

The order puts administrative speed at the center of the government’s housing response. Shortening approval periods could help projects move from planning to construction more quickly, although the meeting did not announce a new numerical supply target or a specific timetable for regulatory changes. Lee told officials to approach housing stabilization as a test of effective administrative management.

Housing affordability and supply remain major public concerns in South Korea, particularly in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area. The government has sought to cool persistent price pressure while increasing the volume of homes entering the development pipeline. Lee’s remarks indicate that the administration sees execution delays, as well as the overall scale of planned construction, as an obstacle requiring direct attention.

At the same Cabinet meeting, Lee also ordered a broader review of public safety functions, including policing, firefighting and disaster prevention. He asked officials to conduct thorough checks of crowded facilities, bridges and other important public structures, and said protections should cover both the public and workers in safety-related fields.

Lee separately addressed the newly launched Serious Crime Investigation Agency. Speaking to its inaugural chief, Kim Ji-yong, he stressed impartial investigations into corruption and offenses involving stocks and financial matters. The agency began operating earlier this month as part of prosecution reform that removed investigative authority from prosecutors while leaving them responsible for indictments and maintaining cases.

Although the meeting covered several areas of government, Lee’s housing instructions focused on converting policy commitments into construction more quickly. The next practical test will be whether ministries and local authorities can shorten land and permit procedures without weakening oversight, while bringing enough projects forward to ease pressure in the housing market.