Conservative ex-lawmaker nominated to head public housing corp. in Seoul

Kim Hyun-ah / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon nominated former opposition lawmaker Kim Hyun-ah to head the Seoul Housing and Communities Corp. (SH), the public housing developer affiliated with the city government, according to officials, Monday.

Kim served as a lawmaker from 2016 to 2020, belonging originally to the United Future Party, a predecessor of the conservative main opposition People Power Party. She specializes in urban planning, receiving her bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. in the field from Gachon University in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

“I feel a huge responsibility as housing problems have become very serious in Seoul,” Kim told Yonhap News Agency following her nomination. “Once appointed as the SH's head, I will actively support Mayor Oh's housing policies as he has been going all out to resolve housing problems in the capital.”

Kim has strongly criticized the liberal Moon Jae-in government's housing polices, accusing them of worsening the housing shortage.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council will hold Kim's confirmation hearing on July 19. Even if the council does not approve her nomination, the mayor can still appoint her according to an agreement between the city government and the council.

But it remains to be seen whether the mayor and Kim could push ahead with their own policies, which will require approval from the city council, as the council is dominated by members from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.