“The Violation Was Unknown, Then Tens of Millions in Enforcement Fines… Measures Needed to Ease Housing Insecurity.”
On the morning of the 26th, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the site of an apartment that was a victim of rental fraud in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, along with members of the Michuhol-gu Rental Fraud Victim Countermeasure Committee to inspect the building.
The National Planning Committee (NPC) has decided to propose the fast-track legalization of residential purpose-violating buildings as a preventive measure. This aims to prevent people from being driven out onto the streets after unknowingly purchasing illegal structures, which subsequently create issues with mortgage loans or result in hefty enforcement fines totaling tens of millions of won. During his presidential campaign, President Lee Jae-myung promised to ensure housing stability through the legalization of unreported specific buildings.
On the morning of the 31st, Lee Chun-seok, head of the NPC’s Economic Division 2, informed the press about selecting actionable measures for the reasonable management of violating buildings during a specific building expert meeting held in Changseong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He mentioned that there are plans to legally legitimize particular buildings of a specific size that do not harm nearby residents or pose safety issues, within a temporary timeline. He also expressed a willingness to work closely with the government and the National Assembly to ensure that the 11 specific building resolution laws currently proposed in the National Assembly are discussed and passed swiftly.
He added, “We will also ease the ‘excessive building regulations’ that produce unauthorized structures,” stating that unnecessary building regulations affecting sunlight, height, and area will be identified and rationalized based on their necessity and purpose, ensuring they do not heavily impact surrounding areas. Additionally, he advised the government to promptly amend related laws, like the Building Act’s enforcement ordinance. There is also a commitment to improve the management system for illegal buildings, with comprehensive measures to fundamentally prevent their occurrence being promptly prepared within the year.
The need for this measure arose from instances where citizens’ housing stability was threatened due to violating buildings. Lee Jeong-heon, a committee member, pointed out that in both urban and rural areas, merely demanding the demolition of unauthorized structures or imposing enforcement fines of tens of millions of won forces residents out onto the streets, causing severe financial distress to landlords. He highlighted cases where tenants unknowingly occupying illegal structures cannot benefit from rental insurance or access loans, facing dire threats as a result.
The NPC shared that numerous complaints regarding unauthorized buildings have been received in various regions. Planning Division Chief Park Hong-geun mentioned examples like balcony extensions and rooftop rain shelter installations, with over 150,000 cases reported so far. Since the 2019 amendment of the Building Act, enforcement fines are imposed indefinitely until the violation is resolved, significantly burdening individuals who find restoration challenging. This necessitates protection measures for those unable to make voluntary corrections.
However, it is still undecided which buildings will practically qualify for legalization. Chief Park called on the government to set criteria, including factors like no harm to neighboring residents or safety concerns, and paying a minimum number of enforcement fines, to proceed with the legalization.