Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Kim Yun-deok, an innovator that the times demand

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Kim Yoon-deok, an innovator demanded by the times

Today, South Korea is facing complex national land issues such as the imbalance between the capital region and local areas, housing market instability, population decline, and urban hollowing. The public is now demanding practical leaders who understand reality and public sentiment, rather than the old-fashioned bureaucracy of the past. The person who meets this timely request is Kim Yoon-deok, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Kim Yoon-deok, a three-term member of the National Assembly, has accumulated multidimensional capabilities through practical experiences in the National Assembly, political parties, and local fields, providing solutions to national land issues. His emphasis on 'real estate policies aligned with the public's perspective' and 'regional-centered balanced development strategies' goes beyond mere slogans, reflecting the direction pursued in years of policy planning and legislative activities. In particular, his close policy collaboration and trust relationship with President Lee Jae-myung herald a strong driving force for realizing the next vision for the national land.

The practical legislative activities of a three-term National Assembly member

Kim Yoon-deok has been elected as a member of the National Assembly three times in Jeonju Wansan-gap during the 19th, 21st, and 22nd terms. Starting from the local council, he has consistently focused on practical legislative activities since entering the National Assembly. In particular, he has been active for a long time in the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Housing Welfare, concentrating on key national policy tasks such as real estate, transportation, and urban development. One of his notable legislative achievements is the Special Act on the Management of Metropolitan Traffic (Metropolitan Law). This law institutionalizes the establishment of a nationwide transportation network, including not only the metropolitan area but also metropolitan cities with a population of over 500,000, providing a foundation for alleviating traffic blind spots in local areas and enhancing mobility between regions. Notably, this law is also a symbolic piece of legislation that Kim proposed as the first bill of the 22nd National Assembly. Kim has realized 'actionable balanced development through legislation' rather than just 'rhetorical balanced development' through numerous policy proposals aimed at expanding regional infrastructure, such as the amendment of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Act, promoting Innovation City Season 2, and fostering hydrogen and RE100 industrial complexes. He has also been recognized for his expertise and concentration during the National Assembly's audit, being selected as an excellent member of the National Assembly, indicating that he possesses sufficient qualifications not just as a policy proposer but as a policy validator.

The practical strategist of 'Jjinmyeong', the trust relationship with President Lee Jae-myung.

When describing Kim Yun-deok's political identity, one cannot overlook his trust relationship with President Lee Jae-myung. In 2021, during the Democratic Party's presidential primary, he was the first politician from the North Jeolla region to publicly support then-Governor Lee Jae-myung, leaving a deep impression on the national political arena. Subsequently, he played a crucial role as the Chief Deputy Head and Head of General Affairs in Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign committee, effectively managing the camp's strategy. Kim's contributions to operating the camp practically, rather than merely forming a political alliance, led to President Lee's trust in him. Immediately after the election, he was appointed as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party's organizational office and then as the Secretary-General, leading to his fifth consecutive term, where he held a key role in overseeing the party's strategy, finances, personnel, and regional organization management. This background demonstrates that Kim is not merely an aide to the president but a practical figure equipped with the capacity for party management and strategy development. Kim agrees with President Lee's governance philosophy of "balanced development," "creating a just residential environment," and "pragmatic governance," and he is considered the right person to concretely implement these principles in the role of Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. As President Lee emphasizes a "real estate policy at the level of the citizens," Kim, equipped with practical skills to translate these into feasible policies and legislative experience, is a definitive execution partner.

Real estate issues and the center of balanced development solutions

One of the main reasons why candidate Kim Yoon-deok is attracting attention as the nominee for the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is his consistent practical and citizen-centric approach to complex and sensitive real estate issues. He has maintained a centrist and pragmatic stance that transcends the existing extremes of policy, focusing on housing supply for genuine users, expanding public rental housing, easing regulations on redevelopment and reconstruction, and strengthening public contributions. In particular, he has expressed a strong commitment to expanding LH-buy rental housing for young people and the homeless, improving the quality of public housing, and promoting the supply of locally-based rental housing. By prioritizing the restoration of trust among genuine users and housing stability over simple quantitative supply in the real estate market, he presents a differentiated policy perspective compared to previous governments. Meanwhile, candidate Kim has also been involved in the practical design of systems aimed at alleviating overcrowding in the metropolitan area and achieving balanced national development through the ‘5-division 3-special’ administrative system. The ultra-wide economic and transportation policy based on the five metropolitan areas—Seoul metropolitan area, Southeast region, Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, Central region, and Honam region—and the three special autonomous jurisdictions of Jeju, Gangwon, and North Jeolla is directly connected to the current government’s land strategy framework. He possesses practical understanding of large national infrastructure projects such as the new airport in Gadeokdo, GTX-B and C lines, the Saemangeum inland highway, and railway connections, and is regarded as a ‘comprehensive policy maker’ due to his experience in securing related budgets and legislation.

Become a trusted practitioner and the center of national territory vision

Candidate Kim Yoon-deok is establishing himself not just as a local representative politician, but as a practitioner who addresses policies in the National Assembly, formulates strategies within the party, and directly designs national land policies. He aims for a pragmatic, problem-solving approach rather than a strong political affiliation and has emphasized citizen-centric policies. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is currently in a critical position where it must simultaneously address multiple crises, including delays in the supply of new towns for the third phase, housing cost burdens, traffic infrastructure bottlenecks, metropolitan overpopulation, and regional extinction. Candidate Kim is one of the few politicians who can tackle such challenges not just from a policy perspective, but by comprehensively considering political and administrative feasibility. He perceives his role as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport not merely as a 'head of the department' but as a chief planner for land innovation that redesigns the living spaces of the people, possessing all three elements of political trust, practical experience, and legislative achievements. The public no longer expects grand rhetoric but rather practical actions from those in power. Candidate Kim Yoon-deok is a candidate who meets those expectations with his achievements and sincerity, and he is a figure capable of designing the future of Korea's land in a concrete and bold manner. He is now more than capable of proving why he should lead the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.