Apartment Costs to be Disclosed Starting 2005

The National Assembly held its plenary session on December 8 passed a resolution on forming a follow-up countermeasure committee and a special committee on balanced development following the unconstitutionality decision about the special law on construction of a new administrative capital, as well as 47 other legislative bills including revised housing laws that will require the basic cost of installment houses on public lands to be disclosed.

The revised housing laws that brought about much controversy among different parties stipulate that the basic cost of major items like cost of land, construction, design, and management, and other extra costs for apartments built on public land and distributed by public organizations, as well as those under 25.7 pyeong of living space distributed by private organizations that are on public land.

Also, the revision includes the implementation of a bond tender system in which public building space will be given to the buyer of the largest amount of bonds when acquiring land for apartments of more than 25.7 pyeong. For apartments of 25.7 pyeong or less under public or private management within public land, the cost linkage system will be employed that distributes land on appraised value, as is currently done, while controlling the sales price at a certain appropriate level.

The National Assembly also passed revision proposals on the registration and disclosure of the military service history of public officials that will expand the scope of disclosure to include those officials over fourth level, along with a special law on support to cities like Pyeongtaek following the moving of U.S. army bases.

Also on December 8, the Government Administration and Home Affairs Committee (GAHAC) passed a resolution to revise the “special law on investigation into pro-Japanese and anti-nationalistic deeds under Japanese occupation” (Investigation on Pro-Japanese Activities) with 13 votes of approval, five oppositions, and one abstention.

The Uri Party attempted to put legal resolutions on investigations into past incidents at the GAHAC, but the discussion was put off until the general meeting on December 9 as the members of the Grand National Party demonstrated strong opposition, surrounding the podium to impede further progress.

The National Defense Committee processed and passed a motion to extend the period of the armed forces dispatch to Iraq, which will extend the military unit Zaytun’s stay in Iraq for another year to the end of next year pending a general meeting held on December 9. The motion was passed with 10 votes of approval and two votes of opposition.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Chu Sung-young of the GNP made an assertion saying, “Mr. Lee Chul-woo of the Uri Party joined the Chosun Labor Party of North Korea in 1992 and is still working for the party in secrecy,” during a five-minute speech at the plenary session of the Assembly.

In his speech Mr. Chu said, “Just how many more of the labor party members are in Uri Party?”

Just before the speech was made, a weekly on current events, the Future Korea, put an article on its website to report that the weekly has received a document from the National Intelligence Service about Mr. Lee and 10 other pro-North Korea students, known as the jusapa (juche ideology faction), who joined North Korea’s Chosun Rodongdang (Korean Workers’ Party) in 1992.

Mr. Lee Chul-woo said, “During the presidential election campaign in 1992, students were arrested and tortured as a part of ‘Anti-North Korea schemes’ and were unilaterally prosecuted,” regarding the issue, and protested that “[the students] were cleared of any charges in the judiciary process.”

Jong-Koo Yoon Min-Hyuk Park jkmas@donga.com mhpark@donga.com