"'2.6 Billion Jeonse Sorrow' Lee Hye-hoon Faces Jang Kyung-tae's Criticism: 'Pretending to Be Homeless... Image Washing Remarks Are Shocking'"

Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving a greeting at the presentation of the survey results on overwork deaths of delivery workers and a discussion on countermeasures held on the morning of September 10 near Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Former Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon, who declared his candidacy for next year's Seoul mayoral by-election, has sparked controversy by expressing the hardships of being homeless while living in a rented apartment in Banpo with a jeonse deposit of 2.6 billion KRW. In response, Jang Kyung-tae, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, saying, "He may want to claim he is 'homeless,' but it seems more like 'no empathy.'"

On the 8th, Jang posted on his Facebook under the title "26 Billion Jeonse Housing, Former Lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon is Not Homeless but Reckless," stating, "I can't swallow the news about Lee Hye-hoon's 2.6 billion Banpo jeonse apartment," and questioned, "What kind of apartment has a 2.6 billion jeonse, and is 2.6 billion jeonse a normal price?"

He continued, "I am appalled by People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook's 'tenant cosplay,' former lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon's 'homeless cosplay,' and the image-cleansing remarks of current and former Seocho-gu lawmakers," sharply criticizing them.

Former Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon is moving after attending the 4th private seminar hosted by Better World on the afternoon of August 25 at Mapo Hyundai Building in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Jang continued his criticism by referring to Lee's asset declaration. He claimed, "At the time of the 2016 asset declaration, 6.5 billion KRW, jeonse rights in Seocho under his spouse's name worth 2.1 billion KRW. The 2.6 billion KRW jeonse apartment, which increased by 500 million KRW compared to four years ago, and ownership of three commercial properties in Seongdong-gu. A representative apartment in Banpo caught up in high pre-sale price controversies."

He added, "If a person with assets exceeding 6 billion KRW is called homeless, it means 'they chose not to buy,' not 'they couldn't buy.' When someone who 'has' talks about the hardships of 'not having,' it is hard to empathize."

Jang also pointed out, "He may want to claim he is 'homeless,' but it seems more like 'no empathy,'" and warned, "I hope reckless redevelopment does not even take away the precious homes of Seoul citizens."

Earlier, Lee had expressed in a recent media interview, "I have been homeless for 15 years," and lamented the difficulties of living in jeonse, saying, "On days when the landlord calls, I can't eat."

However, controversy arose over so-called "commoner cosplay" as it was revealed that Lee currently lives in a jeonse apartment in Seocho-gu under his spouse's name with a deposit of 2.6 billion KRW. Critics pointed out that the jeonse deposit alone is enough to purchase a home within Seoul.

Meanwhile, according to the asset declaration of retired lawmakers from the 20th National Assembly disclosed by the National Assembly Public Officials Ethics Committee, Lee and his husband declared assets totaling 6.52 billion KRW.

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