Democratic Party Rep. Hwang Hee faced fierce criticism for creating "refugees on the road" after proposing "Bus House," a youth housing alternative utilizing decommissioned buses.

Rep. Hwang recently cited examples of remodeled housing from decommissioned and used ships in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and proposed that buses slated for decommissioning in South Korea could similarly be converted into youth living spaces. He estimated that if remodeling costs were set at 50 million won per unit, supplying 10,000 units would cost approximately 500 billion won. He added that various conversion methods could be envisioned, including mobile bus houses and trailer-type bus houses.

Rep. Hwang pointed out that the government's housing supply policy, which relies heavily on the private sector, may progress slowly. He emphasized that bus houses could serve as a practical alternative for rapidly supplying housing that young people could use temporarily until they secure stable residences.

However, once these remarks became public, the People Power Party immediately pushed back. In a commentary, People Power Party Senior Spokesperson Park Chung-kwon criticized Rep. Hwang and the Lee Jae-myung administration, asking, "Is this a policy for young people?" and argued that Rep. Hwang and his family should become the first residents of a bus house. He lambasted the proposal as revealing policy ignorance and irresponsibility, noting that Amsterdam's houseboats are merely a partial alternative born from the Netherlands' unique geographical conditions. He also urged the presidential office to issue an official stance on the housing policy idea.

Criticism also poured in from netizens online, and the Democratic Party clarified that Rep. Hwang's proposal was his personal opinion and unrelated to the party's official position. As the controversy grew, Rep. Hwang deleted his original post and issued an explanation. He clarified that the "Bus House" idea was purely conceptual and that the government was not pursuing such a policy. He repeatedly emphasized that the intention was to diversify ideas.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Rep. Lee Eon-ju within the Democratic Party expressed concern that the government's real estate tax reform plan could lead to increases in both jeonse (long-term deposit-based lease) rents and purchase prices, negatively impacting housing stability. Rep. Lee urged the government to carefully reconsider the balance between property holding taxes and transaction taxes, as well as measures to expand the supply of jeonse and monthly rental housing.