Late Election Controversy Over 'Park Jumin's Monthly Rent Increase'... Ruling Party Defends, Opposition Seals the Deal

Democratic Party of Korea "Institutional Flaws in the Lease Protection Act"
People Power Party "Despicable Hypocrites"

Park Ju-min, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee and Jinyoung Jeon] With less than a week remaining until the by-elections, the ruling party is once again facing a ‘real estate’ scandal. Following former Blue House Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo, now controversy has arisen involving Representative Park Jumin. Park, who was the main proponent of the amendment to the Housing Lease Protection Act centered on the 5% cap on rent increases for jeonse and monthly rent and the right to request contract renewal, was found to have raised the rent on his own apartment by as much as 9% just before the law took effect. The Democratic Party is making every effort to defend itself by saying this is a problem of the system, not the individual, but the People Power Party is seizing the momentum to further emphasize the argument for regime judgment.

On the 1st, Kim Tae-nyeon, acting leader of the Democratic Party, issued a statement saying, "We have realized that reform has not reached the structural roots of everyday corruption," and "Whatever the cause, the Democratic Party was lacking. Please give us another chance," pleading for understanding. Park Young-sun, the Democratic candidate for Seoul mayor, who immediately became concerned about the drop in approval ratings, appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ and said, "I think we must take the public’s anger very seriously and painfully," attempting to calm the situation. Kim Jong-min, a Supreme Council member, also appeared on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ and acknowledged, "It is true that these issues are a negative factor in the election," but added, "I believe there were institutional flaws in the lease system." Noh Woong-rae, another Supreme Council member, explained in an interview with YTN Radio’s ‘Hwang Bo-seon’s Start New Morning’ that "After hearing the details, it was not about profiteering but rather about actually trying to reduce the rent."

However, former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who serves as the People Power Party’s Central Election Countermeasures Committee Senior Vice Chairman and appeared on the same radio program, criticized Park, calling it "the height of hypocrisy, despicable hypocrites," and said, "Aren’t these the people who have pretended to represent the socially vulnerable and monopolize justice and fairness?" Yoo said, "Raising the rent so much just before the law was passed shows they knew the law well and inflicted tremendous pain on tenants before its implementation," adding, "The public is appalled by this extreme hypocrisy." Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, also said at the by-election Central Election Countermeasures Committee Seoul Donghaeng meeting that "The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) scandal occurred, and recently the policy chief himself committed illegal acts using insider information," and added, "The lawmaker who proposed the real estate law committed the same act, so it is no wonder the public is enraged."

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