Kim Yoon-deok, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Policy Practice

Candidate for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoon-deok, the sure winner Kim Yoon-deok

In July 2025, Kim Yun-deok, a member of the Democratic Party, was nominated as the candidate for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, completing the final piece of the puzzle for the first cabinet of the Lee Jae-myung administration. His nomination is being evaluated as a personnel decision focused more on policy practical capabilities and experience in national administration rather than political background. Candidate Kim has been promoting key legislation in the areas of transportation, housing, and balanced national development through his legislative activities and has actually designed structural frameworks related to regional transportation and balanced development. The challenges facing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport encompass a complex range of areas including stabilizing the real estate market, restructuring the supply system, creating ultra-wide area transportation networks, and addressing regional extinction. Candidate Kim has participated in major planning and institutionalization related to these issues on the legislative front. As someone capable of designing feasible policies and connecting the National Assembly with the government, he is gaining increasing attention regarding his future role.

political career, policy design, National Assembly activities

Policy implementation capabilities based on legislative experience

Kim Yoon-deok is a three-term member of the National Assembly, elected three times from Jeonbuk Jeonju Wansan-gap. Before entering politics, he served as a provincial councilor in North Jeolla Province and engaged in civic movement activities, which later influenced his legislative direction centered on locality and public interest. In the National Assembly, he primarily operates within the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, dealing with legislative affairs related to transportation and real estate. He also served as the chairman of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Housing Welfare, taking on the role of practical responsibility for reviewing overall housing policies. In the 22nd National Assembly, he submitted his first representative bill, the "Special Act on Urban Area Transportation Management," establishing a legislative foundation that includes local metropolitan areas within the scope of metropolitan transportation policies. This marked the beginning of a trend to expand the focus of transportation policy from the Seoul metropolitan area to the entire nation.

Political party operation and strategic planning skills

Candidate Kim has experience not only in legislative activities but also in strategic planning and organizational management at the party level. He served as the head of the General Affairs Headquarters and the Chief Deputy Head of the Campaign Headquarters for candidate Lee Jae-myung during the 20th presidential election, overseeing practical operations. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Secretary General of the Democratic Party, where he managed party affairs for five consecutive terms, carrying out practical party functions such as national organizational management, budget management, and candidate planning. His experience in party operation was not limited to organizational management. He functioned as a coordination channel for policy between the National Assembly and the party government, which played a practical role in designing policies in the field of land and transportation at an implementable level. He has experience directly leading consultations within the party and the National Assembly on issues related to key functions of the Ministry of Land, such as budget allocation, regional infrastructure planning, and public housing projects. This background signifies that he possesses the qualifications to oversee the coordination of bills, budget negotiations, and inter-organizational interest adjustments that may arise in the policy advancement process.

Balanced Development Vision and National Land Policy Design

Candidate Kim Yoon-deok is evaluated as an individual who has gone beyond the simple role of a local politician and has been planning the medium to long-term framework of national territory structure. He is one of the practical designers who have supplemented and established execution strategies for President Lee Jae-myung's governance philosophy, the '5-Polar 3-Special' plan. The '5-Polar 3-Special' refers to a structure that redefines the framework of national balanced development by categorizing the five major metropolitan areas: the Capital Region, Chungcheong Region, Honam Region, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Region, and Southeast Region, along with three specialized areas: Gangwon, Jeju, and North Jeolla's Special Self-Governing Province. This concept is not merely about dividing regions, but it serves as a foundation for national territory policies that specialize functions by regions and link administrative, transportation, and industrial strategies. Based on this, Candidate Kim has proposed policies aimed at restructuring the industrial base centered around the Saemangeum area in North Jeolla, establishing RE100-based energy infrastructure, and integrating the connection of inland expressways and railway networks. It is characterized by the preparation of a practical framework to ensure that the Ministry of Land's medium to long-term policies do not remain limited to short-term local SOC investments, but are connected to a function-sharing structure by region.

Pragmatic Approach to Real Estate Policy

Regarding real estate policy, candidate Kim Yun-deok has maintained a practical approach that goes beyond the dichotomy of supply and regulation. He presents the stability of the housing market and the protection of actual users as core principles, and has promoted policies such as the expansion of rental public housing for young people and newlywed couples, the introduction of a purchase-type public housing supply model, and the revitalization of reconstruction and redevelopment while maintaining balance in public contributions. In particular, he has focused on providing purchase-type youth housing through LH, improving the quality of public rental housing in the region, and expanding opportunities for occupancy for households without a home. This stance is evaluated as an approach that simultaneously considers the overall principle of market stability and the specific issue of resolving housing blind spots. He has also criticized the price-increasing structure of privately-centered housing policies while pointing out that excessive public-led approaches can lead to market distortions. This reflects a realistic awareness that a combination of complex measures suited to regions and social classes is necessary, rather than simply expanding supply or tightening regulations.

Infrastructure, transportation, and urban planning integration plan

One of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's key functions is to oversee national-level infrastructure, transportation networks, and urban spatial policies. Candidate Kim Yoon-deok is classified as someone who has experience in large-scale planning and execution in these areas. He has advocated for the prioritization of the GTX-B and C line projects and participated in discussions regarding budget allocations for passing preliminary feasibility studies and early construction. Additionally, he has continuously proposed strategies for connecting expressways centered around the Jeonbuk region, establishing the Saemangeum International Airport and its access road network, and linking rail networks between regions. From an urban planning perspective, he has argued for the expansion of a decentralized urban system through Innovation City Season 2, which seeks to address the structural issues between urban concentration and regional decline at the city level. He presents a decentralized infrastructure model that connects multiple central cities and transportation networks rather than focusing on the development of a single large city.

Policy feasibility as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

The nomination of candidate Kim Yoon-deok as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is largely viewed as a choice based on policy implementation capabilities rather than political compensation or factional appointment. He has not limited himself to a single experience in the land sector but possesses a diverse background in legislative, administrative, budgeting, and party practical work. The key challenges facing the Ministry include structural reform of the housing supply system, completion of regional transport networks, restructuring of urban functions, designing a balanced national territory, and readjusting industrial locations and energy infrastructure. These tasks are not confined to a single area but involve multiple ministries, budgets, legislation, and community coordination, making momentum and coordination ability critical. Candidate Kim has experience as the planner and proponent of relevant legislation and has persuaded the necessity of this policy within political parties, the National Assembly, and local communities. He also has experience leading negotiations on political conflicts and budget discussions. In this regard, he is a candidate who meets all the functional qualifications required for the position of Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Conclusion

The candidate Kim Yun-deok has engaged in practical legislative activities as a member of the National Assembly, and at the party level, he has carried out organizational management and strategic planning. He has consistently raised issues and proposed alternatives in the policy areas overseen by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. His experience is not limited to a single domain but can be summarized as a comprehensive leadership that coordinates and designs complex policies. The real estate solutions, transportation policies, and regional balance plans he has proposed have all been designed with a structural approach centered on feasibility. This aligns with the qualities required of a minister at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at this time. He is assessed as a suitable candidate for a policy-centered cabinet, possessing the ability to design not just simple messages for national tasks, but actionable steps that can be implemented on the ground.

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