Gov’t to supply 460,000 homes in 2021
Dec 23, 2020, 08:25 am
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki speaks during a meeting on the real estate market with economy-related ministers at the Seoul Government Complex in Seoul on Dec. 22, 2020./ Source: The Ministry of Economy and Finance
AsiaToday reporter Lee Ji-hoon
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Tuesday that the government will provide 460,000 housing units next year, including 319,000 apartment units, as part of efforts to stabilize the overheated housing market.
“The basic premise for a stable housing market is a sufficient supply,” the minister said during a meeting on the real estate market with economy-related ministers at the Seoul Government Complex.
Korea s expansionary fiscal policy to prioritize containment
Posted : 2020-12-17 16:14
Updated : 2020-12-17 17:33
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, second from right, speaks during a press briefing at the Seoul Government Complex, Thursday. Yonhap
Consumption, social safety net strengthened
By Lee Kyung-min
The government s top priority in 2021 will be the containment of COVID-19, the continued spread of which will weigh heavily on the local job market and consumption, hurting the prospects of a much-needed economic recovery.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced its economic policy directives for 2021, Thursday, defined by increased emphasis on strengthening the social safety net to limit the fallout of the pandemic-induced massive job losses. The directives offer tax incentives to bolster consumption, which has stagnated due to the repeated rise of social distancing rules.
By Lee Kyung-min
Job losses here continued for the ninth consecutive month in November, the second longest period of increasing unemployment since the 16 months from January 1998 to April 1999 following the Asian financial crisis.
It also surpassed the previous eight consecutive months of decline from January through August in 2009 during the global financial crisis.
The number of people who said they had been resting, soared 10.2 percent, or 218,000, the highest since 2003, when statistics started to be compiled.
Experts say December figure will be far worse given the temporary shutdowns of many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as illustrated by new infections being reported in the hundreds every day for the past few weeks and passing the 1,000 mark on two of those days.