Jung Sye-kyun: "Investigation into Public Officials' 'Land Speculation' Allegations to Be Completed by Next Week" (Comprehensive)

'Saui' Yoon Seok-yeol: "Deeply Regretful... Recent Behavior Feels Like Political Ambition"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is answering reporters' questions during the second regular briefing at the government Seoul office briefing room on the afternoon of the 4th. 2021.3.4
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun addressed the allegations of land speculation by some public officials who exploited undisclosed internal information related to new town land development on the 4th, stating, "We will complete the investigation of all current and former employees of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) by next week," and added, "The government will thoroughly investigate this incident and strictly punish any public officials involved in illegal activities to ensure that such incidents never happen again."

During a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul in the afternoon, Prime Minister Chung said, "It is absolutely unacceptable for employees of public institutions, who should be dedicated to stabilizing housing for ordinary citizens, to betray public trust through such inappropriate actions. I apologize to the people," expressing his stance.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination, under President Moon Jae-in's directive, immediately formed a joint investigation team led by Choi Chang-won, the first deputy minister of the Office, and began the investigation.

Prime Minister Chung stated, "We will investigate all executives and employees of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, LH, and development corporations affiliated with local governments. We will also investigate public officials responsible for related tasks in Gyeonggi, Incheon, and basic local governments," adding, "We will thoroughly examine transaction records not only of current and former public officials but also of their spouses and direct relatives." However, when asked whether Seoul was included in the investigation, he replied, "It is judged that Seoul is not relevant."

The land speculation allegations surfaced regarding activities that occurred during the tenure of the current Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Byun Chang-heum, when he was president of LH. When asked about investigation plans concerning Minister Byun, he said, "There are currently no plans regarding Minister Byun," adding, "Unless there is a special situation during the investigation, we do not suspect that Minister Byun was involved or engaged." Regarding policy officials such as those from the Blue House or the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, he responded, "They have not been considered as subjects of the investigation."

Regarding suspicions about prime land sites such as Gwacheon district in Gyeonggi and Seongnam, beyond the six 3rd new town sites under scrutiny, he said, "It may not be wise to arbitrarily expand the investigation areas," and added, "At this point, focusing on the 3rd new towns is the right approach." However, he left room for further investigation by stating, "We will conduct the first phase of the investigation by next week and will proceed carefully and properly to avoid a rushed process."

Prime Minister Chung also said, "The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission will start accepting reports on public officials' speculative activities from today," and stated, "If it is confirmed through this investigation that internal information was used or public officials violated ethical standards, strict measures such as referral for prosecution will be taken."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is answering reporters' questions during his second regular briefing at the Government Seoul Office briefing room on the afternoon of the 4th. March 4, 2021.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, regarding Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who unexpectedly announced his resignation on the same day, Prime Minister Chung said, "I did not expect it. I find it very regrettable," but also noted, "Looking at Prosecutor General Yoon's recent behavior, there was a sense that he intended to enter politics." When asked if there had been any prior discussions with the government about Yoon's position, he replied, "As far as I know, there were no discussions at all." On the possibility of Yoon running for president, he drew a line by saying, "An individual's future plans are not something to comment on."

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