'Real Estate Speculation Allegations' 576 Investigation and Prosecution Targets... 10 National Assembly Members

Nam Gu-jun, Chief of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, is giving a briefing on the joint government special investigation headquarters' investigation at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 30th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The government joint special investigation headquarters (Special Investigation Headquarters), investigating real estate speculation allegations triggered by Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), is conducting preliminary investigations and investigations on 10 members of the National Assembly.

According to the Special Investigation Headquarters on the 30th, as of the morning of that day, there are 125 cases and 576 people under preliminary investigation and investigation. Compared to 110 cases and 536 people as of the 26th, the number of subjects increased by 40.

Classified by investigation clues, 18 cases started from complaints by civic groups, 6 cases were requested for investigation by other agencies such as the government joint investigation team and local governments, and 93 cases were recognized and investigated independently by the police.

Among the investigation subjects, there are 35 LH employees, 94 public officials, and 26 local council members. In particular, 10 current members of the National Assembly have come under investigation. Among them, 5 members were reported or petitioned regarding their own real estate allegations, 3 cases involve family members being reported, and 2 cases were reported but are said to be unrelated to real estate speculation allegations.

The Special Investigation Headquarters plans to make detention investigations a principle for speculative acts using internal information by public officials and actively pursue the recovery of unjust profits. In fact, the court approved the seizure preservation application for a public official in Pocheon City, the first detention case by the Special Investigation Headquarters, freezing land and buildings worth about 8 billion won. Choi Seung-ryeol, head of the investigation bureau at the National Police Agency, stated, "It is possible to confiscate and recover not only when public officials buy land using internal information but also in cases of acquisition by third parties within the same scope."

The Special Investigation Headquarters explained that cooperation with the prosecution is also proceeding smoothly. Regarding the prosecution's involvement in this investigation, Nam Gu-jun, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, said, "We have cooperated with the prosecution from the early stages of the investigation and proceeded with communication such as warrant execution in the case of the Pocheon City public official," adding, "Although the prosecution is involved, we see that the prosecution has a separate domain. We will sufficiently consult and the police will perform their roles accordingly."

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