Lee’s morning housing push signals hardline stance

Feb 03, 2026, 08:01 am

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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 27. / Yonhap

Lee Jae-myung has doubled down on his determination to eradicate real estate speculation, posting housing-related messages on social media for a third consecutive day — again choosing the high-visibility morning hours.

On Sunday morning, Lee posted back-to-back messages on X, titled “Urgent sale in Gaepo at 400 million won discount… ‘let’s watch a bit longer,’ trading still sluggish” and “Isn’t it time to stop defending ruinous real estate speculation and outdated red-baiting?”

Since the start of the year, Lee has intensified his messaging against property speculation, with the past three days marking a clear pattern of morning posts aimed at maximizing public attention. The tone of his remarks has also grown increasingly hardline.

As recently as Jan. 23 and Jan. 25, Lee’s comments focused on policy explanations and predictability, such as “We are not considering any extension of the capital gains tax exemption for multiple homeowners set to expire on May 9,” and “Korea is returning to a predictable, normal society. There is no government that can defeat the market, but neither is there a market that can defeat the government.”

In recent days, however, his posts have increasingly taken aim at opposition parties and sections of the media critical of the government’s housing measures.

Posts such as “Unable to understand the context and meaning of words…” and Sunday’s “Isn’t it time to stop outdated red-baiting that labels housing normalization as pro-North?” were widely seen as directed at the People Power Party. A separate post the previous day — “Why side with speculation even after seeing it ruin the country?” — appeared to target media outlets skeptical of the government’s approach.

A Cheong Wa Dae official said the repeated messaging reflects the president’s strong resolve “to go all the way in normalizing the housing market.”

Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in a briefing that Lee’s continued social media engagement demonstrates “his determination to consistently implement housing policy without wavering.” Regarding the temporary suspension of heavier capital gains taxes for multiple homeowners, she stressed that “its expiration on May 9 is absolutely clear,” noting that this point has been repeatedly emphasized by the president himself.

Kang added that Lee has previously described property holding taxes as “a last resort,” and said the administration is currently deploying a range of policy tools while striving to ensure their effectiveness.

Observers say Lee’s direct and active communication is also intended to avoid repeating the failures of the Moon Jae-in administration, which announced 26 housing measures over five years but ultimately saw home prices surge to record levels.

Lee’s recent posts suggest he believes distrust fueled by opposition parties and parts of the media — framing past policies as “communist” or “anti-market” — contributed to the previous housing boom. Analysts say this may explain why the president is personally addressing housing issues each morning, pushing back forcefully to dismantle what he views as a negative narrative surrounding government policy.

On Sunday, Lee also shared a commentary by Choi Bo-yoon from the previous day and criticized what he called “outdated red-baiting,” seeking to block attempts to brand the government’s housing market normalization drive as pro-North.

Choi had argued in her statement that “blocking solutions while hoarding idle land is no different from telling people to accept government-assigned housing rations.”

Kang’s remark that Lee’s social media activity also underscores the importance of “principled and accurate journalism” was likewise interpreted as a veiled critique of certain media outlets and entrenched interests within the real estate sector.

#Lee Jae-myung #housing policy #real estate speculation #property market #X posts