[Comprehensive] LH to Crack Down on Employees Posting 'Mocking Comments' Sparking Public Outrage... "Dismissal if Employee"

"28th floor, so I can't hear anything, totally awesome"
"Even if fired, land income is much higher than a lifetime salary"
LH employee mocks citizens in outrage

A post presumed to be written by an LH employee on an online community. Photo by Online Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), which is under suspicion of land speculation in the 3rd New Towns in Gwangmyeong and Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, and is facing rumors of organizational disbandment following a series of employees' extreme choices, has filed a criminal complaint against the author who posted mocking remarks such as "(If you don't like it) quit your job" in an online space.

An LH official explained in an interview with a media outlet, "Despite recognizing the seriousness and importance of this incident and making company-wide efforts for thorough investigation and prevention of recurrence, the inappropriate language in the post was judged to have publicly insulted and defamed not only LH employees and their families but also the entire nation, and to have incited negative public opinion, thereby obstructing the implementation of key government policies such as the 3rd New Towns. Therefore, we have submitted a complaint to the investigative authorities."

LH stated that if the author is identified as an LH employee through investigations by investigative agencies, immediate dismissal and disciplinary actions will be taken, and all possible measures, including civil damage claims, will be pursued to set an example.

The author had posted a message titled "They don't care internally anyway" on the workplace community app "Blind" on the 9th, sparking public outrage. The post included statements such as "People will forget in a month or two anyway," "Even if you investigate, everything is done under borrowed names, how will you find anything?", "Even if you get jealous, I will speculate under borrowed names and enjoy my retirement benefits," and "If you don't like it, you should quit your job too."

It continued with "You couldn't get into LH because you weren't good at studying, and now you're hating on me just because you caught one flaw, disgusting tsk tsk," which further fueled public anger. In response, on the 10th, the National Farmers' Federation Busan-Gyeongnam Federation issued a statement expressing dismay, saying, "While people in two places are desperately fighting for their right to survive, LH employees, who are under public criticism for the land speculation scandal, not only failed to show self-restraint and reflection but exchanged mocking conversations targeting them."

Former Lee Jun-seok, Supreme Council Member of the United Future Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the political sphere also expressed displeasure at such mocking posts. On the 10th, Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the Future United Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), responded on his Facebook, calling it "an amusing remark."

He added, "Because LH is thought of as the Land and Housing Corporation, it seems like a relatively old-fashioned job to the younger generation, which explains the current application competition rate." He strongly criticized, "If they had actually informed applicants that 'if you join, you can make a huge amount of money based on internal development information' and accepted applications, then many people who are much better than those claiming to have studied well would have applied, and the person himself would have been rejected."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is delivering opening remarks at the 'COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Status Review Meeting' held on the 12th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed strong displeasure at the mocking posts believed to be from LH employees during the first investigation results announcement of the government joint investigation team on the 'LH land speculation allegations' held on the 11th at the Government Seoul Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Prime Minister Chung said, "It has been confirmed that someone wrote inappropriate posts. From my perspective, it is truly an unacceptable behavior," adding, "I think it is necessary to hold those responsible accountable and properly verify these matters. Behaviors that damage the dignity of public officials and cause discomfort to the public must not be forgiven," and stated, "We will investigate by all possible means and hold them accountable."

On the 8th, a KakaoTalk conversation presumed to be among LH employees was posted on the anonymous workplace community 'Blind'. / Photo by Blind capture

This is not the first time such posts presumed to be from LH employees have appeared. Earlier, on the 8th, when farmers angry about real estate speculation allegations held a protest and press conference in front of LH's Jinju headquarters in Gyeongnam, an LH employee posted a photo of the scene on Blind, sarcastically commenting, "It's on the 28th floor, so I can't hear anything," and mockingly called it "gaekkul" (slang meaning 'awesome').

A post uploaded on the 4th on 'Blind'. The author also claimed, "How can we know if it was unfair speculation or if they studied on their own?" / Photo by Blind capture

Also, on the 4th, the day LH issued a public apology over employees' new town speculation allegations, a post appeared saying, "Is there a law that forbids LH employees from investing in real estate?"

According to JTBC, a new female LH employee sparked controversy by saying in a messenger conversation, "I will buy public land under someone else's name," and "If I get fired for this, the profit from the land will probably be more than what I earn at the company for a lifetime."

Meanwhile, along with this criminal complaint, LH stated, "If similar cases occur in the future, we will continue legal actions such as requesting investigations after additional verification."

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