Didimdol loans to be blocked for housing lottery winners next year

[Anchor]

Starting today (Dec. 2), the limit on the Didimdol loans for apartments in the metropolitan area has been reduced, raising the threshold for loans.

As a result, those who won the lottery for apartments scheduled for occupancy in the second half of next year will no longer be able to receive Didimdol loans, leading to significant backlash from actual demanders.

Reporter Hwang Hyun-kyu has the details.

[Report]

This man, who had planned for his family of four to move into a new apartment in Geomdan, Incheon, is now contemplating whether to give up on moving in.

This is because it has become difficult to secure the remaining balance due to the blockage of Didimdol loans.

[Jung Min-soo/Didimdol loan applicant: "It was completely out of the blue. I struggled to win the lottery, and now I have to throw it away. I'm still pondering what to do."]

If he borrows money from a commercial bank instead of using the Didimdol loan, the monthly repayment amount is expected to increase by 500,000 won.

Last month, the government announced that it would stop providing balance loans secured by newly built apartments in the metropolitan area that have not yet been registered.

The regulations will apply to loan applications starting today, meaning that those who won the lottery for apartments scheduled for occupancy in the second half of next year will not be able to receive Didimdol loans.

Applicants with a combined annual income of 85 million won or less are expressing that they have no proper alternatives.

A petition for the government to withdraw the regulations has also been submitted, stating that they have increased household debt burdens despite being introduced to manage household debt.

[Kang ○○/Didimdol loan applicant/voice altered: "I have three children, and I earn about 4 million won a month. From our perspective, we should save more..."]

There is criticism of the government's actions, which announced loan regulations, faced backlash, temporarily postponed them, and then pushed forward again.

[Ko Jun-seok/Professor at Yonsei University Business School: "Ten million, twenty million, fifty million won is a lot of money. Continuously reducing and changing the limits in the middle causes confusion in the market..."]

In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "This is a measure considering limited resources," and added, "We have provided a grace period to allow for a reassessment of financial plans."

KBS News, Hwang Hyun-kyu.