Nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum Actively Addresses Allegations Raised at Hearing

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Candidate for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byun Chang-heum actively refuted various allegations raised at the National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 23rd, stating they are groundless.

At the confirmation hearing, Candidate Byun also claimed that all accusations of privatization of power and involvement in vested interests, such as creating a blacklist and personnel disadvantages during his tenure as president of Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH), favoritism in work allocation, and misguided real estate perceptions like aggressive borrowing for Gangnam real estate, were untrue.

Candidate Byun also apologized regarding his remarks on the Guui Station accident. He said, "While preparing for the hearing, I seriously and deeply reflected on my past life and overall life. I would like to take this opportunity to once again apologize to Kim, who tragically passed away in the Guui Station screen door accident, his family, and all those who are working risking their safety even at this moment."

Byun’s side first explained that the allegations of preferential treatment in the process of his eldest daughter’s acceptance into the Seoul Global Leader Development Program in May 2007 and the disparaging remarks about fellow successful applicants are not true.

Regarding the preferential treatment allegations, the Seoul Global Leader Development Program was a project promoted during Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s tenure, and Candidate Byun was serving as an assistant professor at Sejong University at the time, making it impossible for him to intervene in the selection process or provide special favors.

It is true that his eldest daughter made inappropriate remarks on her blog disparaging other successful friends when she was accepted into the program, but she was only a young middle school third grader at the time and posted a letter of regret and reflection a few days later, they added.

Regarding the alleged blacklist created targeting executives during his tenure as SH president, Byun’s side claimed that no such document actually exists.

Although multiple documents claimed to be blacklists have appeared in the media, the contents differ and the authorship and substance have not been verified. Byun’s side stated, “No cases of personnel disadvantages matching the document contents have been confirmed, and there are many cases of promotion and reappointment contrary to the contents.”

Byun’s side also denied allegations that he favored a solar power company where Heo In-hoe, a pro-government figure, was chairman, and that a secret agreement was made during this process.

Regarding the solar power business allegations raised by some, Byun’s side rebutted, “The criteria for selecting solar power business suppliers and the actual selection were carried out by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which was promoting renewable energy activation, and thus unrelated to SH.”

Byun’s side explained that the selection of solar power business suppliers at the time was entirely Seoul city’s work, and the fact that the agreement was not disclosed externally was because it was a small-scale event with little need for publicity.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee plans to hold a plenary session again on the 28th to discuss the adoption of the confirmation hearing report on Candidate Byun.

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