"Delinquent Notices Sent to Schools, Chang-Hum Byun Controversy Over False Responses for Not Checking on Time"

Byeon Chang-heum, Car Seized 10 Times Due to Tax Delinquency

On the 23rd, at the confirmation hearing for nominee Byeon Chang-heum, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, held by the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, protest signs displayed by People Power Party members were placed on the protective partitions around nominee Byeon to block droplets in the hearing room.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 23rd, during the confirmation hearing, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum responded to allegations of unpaid taxes by stating that "in the past, the notices were sent to the school (Sejong University), so I could not check them in time." However, this has sparked controversy over whether his answer was false.

According to current law, penalty notices are sent to the vehicle registration address (the address on the resident registration), so unless Byeon’s registered address is Sejong University, the notices could not have been sent elsewhere.

At the hearing held at the National Assembly that day, Byeon explained regarding the multiple seizures due to unpaid illegal parking fines and taxes on his vehicle in the past, "This mainly happened when I was president of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH). The notices were sent to the school (Sejong University), but I was so busy that I only visited the school after several months, so I could not check the notices in time."

Some have pointed out that his statement claiming "the notice recipient address was Sejong University" constitutes perjury. Under current law, penalty notices are sent to the vehicle registration address. Unless Byeon’s resident registration address is Sejong University, the penalty notices would not have been sent there.

Furthermore, if Byeon’s explanation is true, he should have registered his move to Sejong University and updated his resident registration in advance. However, it is reported that he has continuously resided in an apartment in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul since 2006.

Meanwhile, according to the written response submitted by Byeon to the National Assembly, he received five vehicle seizure notices from November 2014 to November 2017 during his tenure as SH president. Counting from his time as a professor at Sejong University in 2006, the total is ten times. There were three seizures due to unpaid parking violation fines, three due to unpaid automobile tax, and four due to unpaid environmental improvement charges.

Regarding this, Byeon admitted, "I was busy with work and failed to properly manage the payments, resulting in the vehicle being seized after the payment deadlines were missed." He added, "Since the second half of 2016, I have not been delinquent, and I will be careful not to be delinquent in the future."

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