"Only Gifted 30 Years Ago"... Ministry of Land's 1st Vice Minister Addresses Gwacheon Land Allegations

Park Sun-ho, 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] "I received it as a gift from my father and have held it unchanged for over 30 years"

Park Sun-ho, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, actively clarified allegations of a 'conflict of interest' regarding the land he owns in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi Province. He stated that he has held the land for over 30 years since receiving it as a gift and did not intervene at all in the development planning process.

On the 1st, through a statement released by the Ministry of Land's spokesperson office, Vice Minister Park said, "In April 1990, my sister and I each received half of the shares as a gift from my father and have held them unchanged for over 30 years." He explained that the land was acquired through land compensation after his father’s nearby land, which he had owned since 1977, was seized for a public project.

The land in question is a 2,519㎡ plot located in Gwacheon-dong, Gwacheon-si. Vice Minister Park currently owns half the shares (1,259.5㎡). This land was included in the mini new town-scale supply plan announced in the December 19, 2018 real estate measures. The designated area is planned to supply about 7,000 households over approximately 1.55 million㎡ in the Gwacheon-dong, Juam, and Makgye-dong areas.

In response, on the morning of the same day, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy requested an investigation by the Ministry of Land, claiming that Vice Minister Park owning land in a housing supply target area poses a conflict of interest. The organization argued, "Vice Minister Park’s duties are related to his personal property interests, making it difficult to expect fair performance of duties under such circumstances."

The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy also pointed out that Vice Minister Park has served as Director of the Housing and Land Office and Director of the Land and Urban Office at the Ministry of Land, and since December 2018 has held the position of 1st Vice Minister. Since the Housing and Land Office Director and 1st Vice Minister are responsible for housing policy matters, they claimed, "Considering his career and duties, Vice Minister Park has held positions in the past and present that could allow him to exert influence for his personal property interests."

Regarding this, Vice Minister Park explained, "New town projects are handled by a very small number of employees in the Public Housing Construction Promotion Team of the Housing and Land Office under strict confidentiality," and "The Director of the Land and Urban Office is not involved in the new town planning process and therefore cannot know any details." He dismissed the allegations by stating that he was appointed as Vice Minister only four days before the development plan was announced and first became aware of the plan upon receiving the report.

Regarding claims that Vice Minister Park is expected to gain huge profits from the new town plan, he explained, "Compensation is made based on the publicly announced land price at the level of appraisal value," and "Development profits from the new town project are excluded." He further added, "There are many cases where landowners included in the new town file complaints related to compensation," implying that disadvantages rather than benefits may occur.

Finally, Vice Minister Park said, "In my 31 years of public service, I have never once imagined performing duties for personal property gain," and "I will continue to prioritize the values of integrity and fairness in carrying out my duties."

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