Yoon vows to accelerate redevelopment of run-down homes

President Yoon Suk Yeol, front, second from right, visits an urban redevelopment site in Seoul's eastern Jungnang district, Dec. 21. Courtesy of the Presidential Office

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to accelerate the redevelopment and reconstruction of run-down homes in Seoul to provide citizens with comfortable and safe housing.

Yoon made the remark during a meeting with residents of Seoul's eastern Jungnang district after visiting a redevelopment site lined with old decrepit houses and narrow alleyways difficult for cars to pass.

"We must turn these old homes built 30 years ago into comfortable and safe homes," he said, noting over half of homes in Seoul are more than 20 years old. "We will review and improve reconstruction and redevelopment project procedures from scratch to dramatically increase the speed of these projects."

Yoon said current regulations require a home to fail a safety inspection in order to be designated for redevelopment or reconstruction, leading people to want their homes to "become dangerous."

"From now on, I think we should completely change the redevelopment and reconstruction criteria to how run-down it is," he said. (Yonhap)