Three Unresolved Suspicions About the 'Anseong Shelter' Despite Yoon Mi-hyang's Explanation

①Purchased at a Price Higher Than Building Market Value
②Designated as Caretaker of Father's Rest Area
③Introduction of Husband's Acquaintance, E Gyu-min, Elected Representative

Former Director Yoon Mi-hyang of the Justice Memory Solidarity (Proportional Representative Elect of the Democratic Party of Korea)
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Following accounting irregularities, suspicions surrounding the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeok) have been snowballing, including the high-priced purchase of the 'Anseong Shelter.' All related allegations have been reported to the prosecution, and the truth will ultimately be settled by judicial authorities. On the 18th, Yoon Mi-hyang, former chairperson of Jeonguiyeok and elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on the radio to actively refute the allegations, but it remains uncertain whether the controversy will subside.

On the same day, an organization named the Action Alliance for Restoring the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon) held a press conference at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and filed a complaint against former elected official Yoon on charges of breach of trust. They claimed, "Yoon purchased the building at an excessively high price, allowing a third-party seller to gain benefits from the donations and causing losses to the organization." The prosecution has already begun investigating earlier allegations of embezzlement and fraud. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office announced that on the 14th, the case involving embezzlement and fraud charges was assigned to the Criminal Division 4 (Fair Trade and Economic Crime Division). With the additional complaint filed that day, the total number of cases under prosecution investigation has reached six.

The controversies related to the Anseong Shelter (House Where Peace and Healing Meet), which will be revealed through the prosecution's investigation, mainly fall into three categories. Yoon, during her tenure as the representative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop), the predecessor of Jeonguiyeok, established this facility in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, for the comfort of former comfort women victims. First, regarding the criticism that Yoon's father worked as the manager of the Anseong Shelter, both Yoon and Jeonguiyeok seem unlikely to avoid criticism. Yoon's father received a total of 75.8 million KRW over six years under the name of management and labor costs. Although it was not a large sum and was not intended for private profit, Yoon explained that it was an inconsiderate decision. In an interview, she stated, "I asked my father, who had experience managing a church residence, to take care of the building."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The controversy over the 'purchase price,' which could be subject to breach of trust charges, appears to be the core issue. The Anseong Shelter was originally intended as a residential space for the comfort women victims. Jeongdaehyeop received a designated donation of 1 billion KRW from Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2012 to carry out this project. Initially, Seongsan-dong in Mapo-gu was considered, but the location was ultimately changed to Anseong City. In an interview, Yoon said, "With 1 billion KRW, it was impossible to buy any house in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu, so we had no choice but to search for a long time," adding, "The natural environment was good, making it suitable for the grandmothers to rest and for programs related to the comfort women issue, so we purchased it."

This decision sparked two controversies. First, by choosing Anseong City, where real estate prices are relatively low, there is suspicion that the building was intentionally purchased at a price higher than the market value. Additionally, criticism arises that by selecting a location with poor accessibility for the grandmothers, the facility was ultimately used differently from its original purpose. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's real transaction disclosure system, in the same year, houses of similar size near Geumgwang-myeon, Anseong City, were traded between 100 million and 400 million KRW. However, Jeongdaehyeop purchased the Anseong Shelter for 750 million KRW. In response, Jeonguiyeok stated, "Through inspections of three final candidate sites, we confirmed that the market price for similar buildings was around 700 million to 900 million KRW." Yoon also said, "Considering the intended use, I thought it was not expensive."

The Anseong Shelter, prepared through this process, was not used as a resting place for the grandmothers. The grandmothers, who participated in demand rallies and various testimony activities, found it difficult to live at the Anseong Shelter, which was two hours away. Instead, it was revealed that Jeonguiyeok's staff workshops and other activities were held there, leading to criticism questioning "for whom this project was intended."

The fact that the final building was selected through an introduction by an acquaintance is also suspicious. The Anseong Shelter building was introduced and purchased through Lee Gyu-min, the representative of Anseong Newspaper (also an elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea), who is an acquaintance of Yoon and her spouse. The building was owned by Kim, a construction businessman who was the operating committee chairman of Anseong Newspaper. Due to this background, there are allegations that inappropriate involvement occurred during the building purchase process.

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