On August 7, the Democratic Party stated that Representative Hwang Hee's proposal to convert decommissioned buses into temporary housing for young people is a "personal opinion unrelated to the party's stance." This response appears to be an immediate effort to distance the party from the controversial remarks.
In a Facebook post, Hwang referenced the remodeling of decommissioned ships into homes in Amsterdam, suggesting a program to repurpose discarded buses into living spaces for university students. He estimated that remodeling costs could be around 500 million won (approximately $500,000) for 10,000 units, totaling about 500 billion won. He argued that this could provide temporary housing for young people until they secure stable accommodations and could be implemented quickly.
Following his comments, there was a surge of calls for Hwang to retract his statement and apologize. The People Power Party criticized the proposal as a "clear insult to the younger generation," demanding an explanation for how such an unusual idea emerged from a senior member of the ruling party.
Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk expressed on Facebook, "The real estate policies of the Lee Jae-myung administration are becoming increasingly absurd, culminating in a suggestion to remodel decommissioned buses for young people. This mocks those already struggling."
Park Chung-kwon, the party's chief spokesperson, challenged Hwang and the government, asking, "Is this the kind of policy we should have for the future of our youth?" He urged Hwang to set an example by becoming the first resident of a 'bus house.' Choi Soo-jin, the party's floor spokesperson, added, "This government and the Democratic Party have already made young people cry over real estate issues, and now they are suggesting they live in buses. They are completely out of touch with public sentiment."
As criticism mounted, Hwang clarified that his comments were meant to be a "purely conceptual idea" and deleted his original post. In a follow-up message, he acknowledged that young people felt offended and explained, "I intended to enrich the discussion around ideas, and this does not mean the government is pursuing such a policy."
The Democratic Party also sought to mitigate the situation. Chief spokesperson Kang Jun-hyun stated in a press release that Hwang's Facebook post regarding bus houses and temporary housing was entirely a personal opinion and not related to the party's position.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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