Growing LH 'Speculation Allegations' Put Ruling Party on Defensive, Opposition Raises Accountability Issue (Comprehensive)

"Byeon Chang-heum Loses Eligibility for Self-Investigation" Criticism of Ruling Party's Investigation Subject and Scope
People Power Party to Fully Demand LH Truth Investigation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] As the spark of speculation allegations involving some employees of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in the Gwangmyeong and Siheung 3rd New Towns refuses to die down, the opposition parties have begun to actively raise the 'ruling party responsibility theory.' The People Power Party is focusing its attacks on the government and ruling party, criticizing their response methods, investigation subjects, and targets following the controversy.

On the 7th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said on Facebook, "If the prosecution were alive, the public would have heard news that the prosecution conducted a full-scale raid on the LH headquarters office." He then criticized the ruling party, saying, "Why does the Democratic Party of Korea, while shouting for a thorough investigation, entrust the LH corruption to the Board of Audit and Inspection, request prosecution investigations, or refrain from launching a parliamentary audit?" He pointed out, "The 180 seats held by the Democratic Party are the main culprit that breaks the justice and fairness of this country."

On the same day, Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued two statements criticizing the government and ruling party. Spokesperson Bae said, "We demanded a true investigation into the LH incident, but they seem to be conducting a tribute investigation to the regime," adding, "Why are the Board of Audit and Inspection and the prosecution excluded as investigation subjects? Is it because they were uncomfortable with the regime due to recent unrestricted investigations?" He further questioned, "Are we supposed to trust the investigation results led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, excluding the prosecution that achieved results through account tracking and raids in the war against speculation in the 1st and 2nd new towns?"

On the previous day, the 6th, Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate, also called for the resignation of Minister Byeon Chang-heum (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), saying, "Minister Byeon’s belated self-investigation has already lost its qualification." Oh explained, "This is because he said regarding the LH employees’ land speculation allegations, ‘I think they bought the land thinking the new town development would not happen, but suddenly it was designated as a new town.’" He also pointed out, "The period when he served as LH president exactly coincides with the timing of LH employees’ land speculation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 2nd, when the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy exposed these allegations, the People Power Party took collective action starting the next day, the 3rd. Members of the People Power Party’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall, emphasizing that "this is a clear crime violating the Public Officials Ethics Act and the Anti-Corruption Act" and "an act of national disorder that must never be committed in front of the people suffering from real estate mismanagement."

Since the controversy spread, the People Power Party has issued seven statements so far and has been focusing on criticizing the ruling party, including receiving ‘public reports on real estate speculation by the Moon Jae-in government’ from the public. The People Power Party plans to continue party-level movements regarding this matter. Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the People Power Party and a member of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 7th, "We plan to continuously request the convening of standing committee meetings and parliamentary audits (from the ruling party)."

Meanwhile, members of the People Power Party’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee are scheduled to hold a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall at 3 p.m. on the 7th to announce their position regarding the LH speculation allegations.

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