[Public Officials' Assets] 30% of Senior Officials in Ministry of Land and Affiliated Agencies Are Multiple Homeowners

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] It has been revealed that 10 high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport headquarters and its affiliated agencies, including Choi Chang-hak, President of the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, and Choi Ki-ju, Chairman of the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee, are multi-homeowners.

Considering that there are 33 high-ranking officials subject to property disclosure in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the proportion of those owning two or more homes reaches 30%. Despite the Moon Jae-in administration issuing 19 rounds of intensive real estate measures to pressure the disposal of multiple homes, there are criticisms that many senior officials in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the main ministry in charge, have not given up being multi-homeowners.

According to the 2019 property changes of high-ranking officials disclosed on the 26th through the Government Officials Ethics Committee's official gazette, among the 33 heads of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport headquarters and its affiliated agencies, President Choi of the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation owns four homes, and there are nine others owning two homes, totaling 10 multi-homeowners.

President Choi owns one apartment each in Sin Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (115.0㎡) and Dalseo-gu, Daegu (134.9㎡). He also holds a detached house (72.1㎡) in Nam-gu, Daegu, and an officetel (29.4㎡) in Jung-gu, Daejeon.

Choi Ki-ju, Chairman of the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee, who holds a vice-ministerial rank, declared assets worth 7.393 billion KRW and owns two apartments in regulated areas. He owns one apartment each in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul (144.7㎡) and Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do (99.5㎡). Chairman Choi explained that the Suwon apartment is held to care for his parents.

At the headquarters, Ahn Chung-hwan, Director of the Land and Urban Office, is a two-homeowner holding an apartment (134.8㎡) in Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, and a pre-sale right for a residential-commercial complex (84.8㎡) in Naseong-dong, Sejong-si.

Kim Chae-gyu, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office, was a three-homeowner owning an apartment in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (85.0㎡), an officetel in Sindang-dong, Jung-gu (13.7㎡), and an apartment in Dajeong-dong, Sejong-si (84.9㎡), but sold the Sejong apartment at the end of last year and became a two-homeowner.

On the other hand, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi maintained her status as a single-homeowner. Minister Kim, who declared assets worth 925 million KRW, owns an apartment (146.6㎡) in Ilsan Seo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Although her husband owned a detached house (92.2㎡) in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, he sold it to a relative and rented again after a multi-homeowner controversy arose in 2018.

First Vice Minister Park Seon-ho, a single-homeowner, declared assets increased by 22 million KRW to 3.357 billion KRW, and Second Vice Minister Son Myeong-su declared an increase of 154 million KRW to 1.631 billion KRW. Vice Minister Son was a two-homeowner holding an apartment in Ogeum-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul (84.9㎡) and a pre-sale right for an apartment in Banggok-dong, Sejong-si (84.4㎡), but sold the Sejong apartment immediately after its completion in February this year and became a single-homeowner.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.