Legislation ministry rules Daegu cannot subsidize vacant home database

The Ministry of Government Legislation said June 30 that provincial governors cannot subsidize the construction and operation costs of a vacant home information system under the Special Act on Vacant Houses and Small-Scale Housing Renovation. The ruling came in response to an inquiry from Daegu Metropolitan City regarding whether such expenses qualified for financial aid when delegated to a specialized agency.

Officials determined that the Korea Real Estate Board does not fall under the category of entities eligible for subsidies defined in the law. The statute limits recipients to mayors, county heads, district chiefs, or land and housing corporations, excluding the real estate board which is established under its own separate act.

The ministry also noted that building and operating the information system are not listed among expense items eligible for support under Article 44, Paragraph 3 of the act. It rejected arguments that these costs should be included as fact-finding survey expenses, distinguishing the separate purposes and implementing bodies of the two systems. Officials emphasized that regulations involving local fiscal burdens must be interpreted strictly to ensure sound local finance.

Instead of subsidies, the ministry pointed to Article 15, Paragraph 2 of the enforcement decree, which allows provincial governors to support necessary costs for specialized agencies within the scope of their budget. This provision offers a separate funding pathway distinct from the subsidy framework used for municipal governments and public housing corporations.

The interpretation serves as a unified guideline for administrative execution but does not carry the same legal binding force as a final court judgment.