Rising Pressure in Presidential Residence Dispute: "Illegal Purchase" vs "Excessive Political Attack"

Former Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min "Attempt to Tarnish Ahead of Election"
Democratic Party Rep. Yoon Gun-young "Not False Writing Regarding Farmland Act... Political Offensive"

Hwang Kyo-ahn "Isn't His (President Moon's) Anger About His Own Past Actions?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The real estate issue that began with allegations of land speculation by employees of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) has spread to the presidential residence. The opposition parties are fiercely accusing the land for President Moon Jae-in's residence in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, of being 'illegally purchased,' while the ruling party and the Blue House strongly rebutted it as an excessive political attack.

On the 15th, former Presidential Secretary No Young-min appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and stated, "There are no suspicions regarding the acquisition process of the Yangsan residence. Everything was conducted according to the law," adding, "The current situation is merely an attempt by the opposition party to tarnish the president for political gain ahead of the by-elections."

Former Secretary No emphasized, "Among the purchased farmland, the conversion of some parts into residential land through land development was a legal process."

Regarding President Moon's post on social media (SNS), he said, "How absurd must it have been for him to do that? I think it was a human appeal asking for restraint against irresponsible political attacks ahead of the election." He also pointed out toward the opposition, "The opposition, which made a fuss calling former President Roh Moo-hyun's Bongha residence a 'palace,' has yet to apologize," and added, "They are applying the same frame to President Moon because they believe they gained significant political advantage."

On the same day, Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former Blue House National Situation Room chief, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and described the issue as "an elementary school level problem," explaining that there was no false documentation related to the Farmland Act.

Regarding the land development allegations, Representative Yoon said, "The opposition claims that buying farmland and converting it into residential land resulted in profits, but they make these claims without checking the relevant regulations and reality," and countered, "Land development frequently occurs when many people return to farming."

He also criticized the opposition's claims as election tactics. Representative Yoon said, "As the election approaches and the LH employees' land speculation issue arises, they are making excessive political attacks by dragging the president into it again."

However, the opposition continues to launch daily offensives, targeting the current government's real estate issues triggered by the LH scandal as its Achilles' heel.

On the previous day, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, pressured President Moon on Facebook, saying, "If you have farmed for over ten years, disclose the expenses related to farming such as fertilizer, pesticides, seeds, and saplings." Floor leader Joo criticized, "It is not something the president of the Republic of Korea, who has imprisoned two former presidents under the name of 'clearing deep-rooted evils,' should say."

On the same day, Hwang Kyo-ahn, former leader of the United Future Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), posted on Facebook titled 'The First Step to Overcome National Crisis is President Moon's Reflection and Apology,' stating, "A sincere apology from the president is the first button to fasten." Former leader Hwang urged President Moon to apologize, saying, "Isn't the thing that makes him angry exactly about his past actions? No matter how much 'double standards' are the national policy, it is truly 'shameless.'"

Meanwhile, President Moon's approval rating for his administration, announced on the same day, plummeted to the 30% range. According to a poll conducted by Realmeter commissioned by YTN from the 8th to the 12th, President Moon's approval rating was 37.7%. The LH employees' speculation allegations and other negative factors for the government and ruling party caused the president's approval rating to fall below 40%. This is the first time in five weeks since the first week of February (39.3%) that President Moon's approval rating has dropped to the 30% range.

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