Jo Su-jin, Whose Assets Increased by 1.1 Billion Won in Half a Year, Explains "Mistake in Asset Reporting Process"

So Su-jin, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seunggon Han, Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Jo Su-jin, a member of the People Power Party, explained the allegations that she falsely reported her assets during the last general election by saying, "There was a mistake in the reporting process. I will sincerely clarify the matter."

On the 5th, Jo posted on her Facebook, "I caused concern to many people. I sincerely apologize," expressing her regret.

Jo reported her assets as 1.85 billion KRW (as of December 31, 2019) when registering as a proportional representation candidate for the 21st general election.

However, the disclosure of the National Assembly members' asset reports (as of May 30, 2020) released on the 28th of last month revealed that her assets had increased by about 1.1 billion KRW to 3 billion KRW compared to the time of the general election, sparking controversy.

Kim Yong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, argued on the 2nd that due to the changes in Jo’s asset report, "It is very difficult to consider it a simple omission. The Election Commission should promptly investigate Jo, and if illegal facts are confirmed, she should be reported to the prosecution," calling for her disqualification from office.

In response, Jo explained, "I decided to run as a proportional representation candidate and prepared the documents alone. It took me two full days to obtain about 30 types of documents issued by government agencies, including five years of tax payment records, delinquency records, and criminal records of the family members subject to reporting," adding, "The preparation was too sudden, and a mistake occurred during the reporting process."

She further stated, "In this public official asset report, besides help from those around me, I disclosed and reported all information about myself and my family through a system I used for the first time, such as consenting to financial information. I will sincerely clarify the matter."

Then, Hwang Hee-seok, a Supreme Council member of the Open Democratic Party, wrote on his Facebook on the 6th, "Most people prepare alone. Everyone is given only a short period."

Hwang pointed out, "People usually remember the receivables well even if they forget the debts they have to repay," and criticized, "It is very unusual for someone to omit receivables worth several hundred million KRW, not just one or two million."

Kim also criticized Jo’s explanation, saying, "How many people will accept the excuse of a mistake? It is unreasonable to say that 1.1 billion KRW in cash assets was omitted by mistake rather than an increase reflecting real estate prices."

He added, "It is hard to believe that after more than a week since the first report on August 28, she came out with a prepared excuse saying it was a mistake," and argued, "Especially if, as she explained, she prepared all the reporting materials herself and ran around, she could not have omitted 1.1 billion KRW."

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