PM vows to put highest priority on overseeing housing supply

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during a meeting on housing supply in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Friday she will put the highest priority on housing supply as she presided over a meeting to oversee the government's massive housing supply plan unveiled the previous day.

The government announced Thursday that it will try to supply more than 230,000 additional homes in the Seoul metropolitan area by accelerating development on public land, lifting greenbelt restrictions in some areas and supporting private-sector projects.

"What is important is the speed, how fast we can accomplish this," Han said at the start of the first meeting of related ministers and senior officials. "Swift supply is more important than anything else in order to meet the people's expectations. The housing supply situation will be the highest priority of the prime minister."

Han said she will visit construction sites in person every week, check progress in the projects and report the outcomes at Cabinet meetings every month. She also said she will hold interagency meetings as frequently as necessary to coordinate and resolve pending issues.