‘HF Will Fully Comply with Govt’s Policies to Stabilize Financial Markets’

President Choi Joon-woo of Korea Housing Finance Corp. (HF) gives his opening speech at “2023 Housing Finance Conference” at FKI Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sept. 6.

Korea Housing Finance Corp. (HF) held “2023 Housing Finance Conference” under the theme “Current Status of Housing Finance and the Path It Has to Take” at FKI Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sept. 6.

In his opening speech, HF President Choi Joon-woo said, “HF, a core entity of the financial safety net, will not only fully comply with the government’s policies to stabilize the financial markets lest the jitters affect the housing fiance market but also put into practice inclusive housing financing corresponding to people’s needs.”

Amidst moments of uncertainty, he said the conference would serve as an opportunity to implement housing finance policies for the stability and development of the financial markets.

In his commemorative speech, Secretary General Lee Se-hoon of the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said, “The conference is an opportunity to discuss ways of ensuring housing stability in a long-term perspective and meeting diverse housing finance demands, and I expect it to serve as a venue to discuss the path housing finance will have to take and wisdoms.”

FSC Secretary General Lee called for HF to redouble efforts to support low-income earners and housing occupants and improve the quality of household debts.

“The government will do its utmost to make housing finance people’s strong buttress,” Lee said.

Prof. Koh Sung-soo of Konkuk University, a keynote speaker, said, “Roles of housing finance are important at the global economic uncertainty period, and efforts to overhaul qualitative structure of household debts through long-term, fixed rate mortgages are more likely to be important at the current moment.”

The speaker of the first session, held under the theme “Roles of Public Mortgages and Check into Soundness at the Transitional Period of the Housing Market,” was Kim Kwang-uk, a researcher with the Housing Finance Research Institute at HF.

Kim spoke of the achievements of public mortgages, saying that policy mortgages have been supplied to help houseless people and low-income earners own their houses, and they have contributed to realizing inclusive finance for the improving of low-income and middle-class people’s housing welfare by easing borrowers’ repayment burden.”

The speaker of the second session, held under the theme “Ways of Invigorating Mortgage-backed Securities (MBS) Distribution Market and Improving the Efficiency of Issuance Structure” was Prof. Ahn Sae-ryung of Pukyong National University Business Administration Department.

Prof. Ahn said, “MBS distribution volumes are low in the Korean bond market, so in order to invigorate the MBS distribution market, the standardization of MBS issuance structure, improving of an issuance structure tailored to reflect investors’ demands and greater approach to repurchases to attract individual investors are required to be put into consideration.”

An HF official said, “HF will explore public mortgages’ roles and direction based on several views raised during the conference.”

Korea Housing Finance Corp. has joined in the “Bye Bye Plastic Challenge,” designed to reduce the use of plastic and put into practice “ethical consumption” on Aug. 31. (Photos: HF)

HF Joins Drive to Reduce Use of Plastic and Protect Environment

Korea Housing Finance Corp. participated in the “Bye Bye Plastic Challenge,” designed to reduce the use of plastic and put into practice “ethical consumption” on Aug. 31.

The drive is conducted in which each participant takes a photo waving both hands, posts it on SNS, and recommends the next participant. HF participated in the campaign at the recommendation of Hana Bank.

HF President Choi Joon-woo said, “As surging plastic waste in the post-COVID 19 pandemic has emerged as a social issue, we’ll reduce the use of plastic and put into practice efforts to protect the environment through the challenge.”

President Lee recommended Busan Finance Center as the next participant.

Meanwhile, HF is going to conduct diverse activities to spread awareness of eco-friendliness by launching the “disposable zero campaign” in September along with its executives and staffers to reduce the use of disposable items.