"Common People Buy So Much" Kim Daeji Responds 'Sorry' to Allegations of Falsified Residency Registration

Nominee for Commissioner of National Tax Service Kim Dae-ji Suspected of Falsified Address Registration
Questions Raised Over Five Family Members Including Spouse, Daughter, Mother, and Sister-in-Law Living in One House
"Ordinary People Usually Live Like That," Responds

Kim Dae-ji, nominee for Commissioner of the National Tax Service, is responding to questions at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee on the 19th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Kim Dae-ji, the nominee for Commissioner of the National Tax Service, said on the 19th at the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee confirmation hearing that he "feels sorry" regarding allegations of false address registration.

However, concerning the suspicion that he registered a false address at his sister-in-law's house for the purpose of applying for a housing subscription and that his in-laws lived in the same house, he responded, "Middle-class and lower-income citizens often live like that."

Earlier, Kim moved the addresses of his family and mother in 2011 to his sister-in-law's apartment in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The opposition party raised suspicions that Kim might have purchased the apartment under a borrowed name to gain points for housing subscription as a non-homeowner, considering that his 34-year-old unmarried sister-in-law bought a high-priced apartment at the time.

Kim said, "I have known my sister-in-law since she was young and consider her like a biological sister (that's why we lived together)," adding, "My daughter was in the 6th grade of elementary school at the time. Since she was not an adult, she sometimes stayed with her aunt, sometimes with her grandmother, and sometimes with us. I ask for broad understanding."

Regarding moving his elderly mother's address from Busan to Seoul, he emphasized, "It was a general supply, so the housing subscription and my elderly mother are unrelated."

About the background of his sister-in-law in her mid-30s purchasing a high-priced apartment, Kim explained, "My sister-in-law had a strong will to own a house. While I understand the criticisms, the decision at the time was for her to buy the apartment," adding, "Since I am a subject of asset disclosure, all balances from financial institutions nationwide are automatically checked at the end of the year, so there can be no suspicion of a borrowed name."

Kim Dae-ji, nominee for Commissioner of the National Tax Service, is responding at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee on the 19th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

However, he partially admitted to the false address registration allegations, explaining, "It was for my daughter's school adaptation," and apologized, saying, "I feel sorry for the result of excessive love for my daughter."

He also responded that it was a 'school district violation,' saying, "When my daughter, who had been living in the same neighborhood, moved her address to Jamsil, as a parent concerned about her school adaptation, the mother's address was moved later so that she could continue attending the existing school."

Previously, after returning from a study abroad program in Canada in 2009, Kim moved to Songpa-gu, Seoul. During that process, he maintained his address at Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, raising suspicions that it was a false address registration to prevent his daughter from transferring schools.

Online criticism continued regarding Kim's responses to the false address registration allegations on that day. On a real estate-related online cafe, posts criticizing Kim appeared along with articles about him on the previous day (19th).

Meanwhile, when asked about his thoughts after the confirmation hearing, Kim said, "I think there are shortcomings when viewed from the public's perspective. Since this is not a usual occasion, I sometimes face suspicions and misunderstandings, but I also think I should have been more careful throughout my life."

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